


Questing For Respect

by VGS2_the_Sexy_Sausage



Series: Questing For Respect [1]
Category: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Explorers of Darkness & Explorers of Sky
Genre: Action, Adventure, Angst and Drama, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, LEWD, Lagomorphshipping, Legendary Pokemon, Mystery, POV Pokemon, PikaBun, Romance, Sexual Humor, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:14:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 80,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27362560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VGS2_the_Sexy_Sausage/pseuds/VGS2_the_Sexy_Sausage
Summary: A meek, if not determined, buneary joins a guild, ready to follow her dreams of making it big as an explorer. She gets more than she bargained for, however, when she meets a strangely steel-hearted pikachu one fateful day on Mt. Bristle...
Relationships: Mimirol | Buneary/Pikachu
Series: Questing For Respect [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1999996
Comments: 9
Kudos: 7
Collections: Lagomorphshipping





	1. The New Life

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Questing For Respect](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/709003) by ravengal_the_lago_empress. 



**VGS2's sausage notes:** Yo! Welcome to my Mystery Dungeon fic, mate! :P

Just so ya know, this is a complete remake of ravengal's [Questing For Respect](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8352633/1/Questing-For-Respect), using its characters and settings (for the most part)!

She ever so graciously decided to gift it over to me, due to her decision to start a completely new series with a very similar premise: [Birds of a Feather.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21592519/chapters/51484195) Go check it out, as well as its sequel, when that gets released eventually.

Either way, I hope you enjoy the first chapter of this remake! :D

* * *

* * *

Buneary slowly walked along the sands of Venture Village, the famous beach which had an entire community living on its long shores.

She let out a soft sigh, shivering lightly at the cold morning air. A part of her desperately wanted to look around and take in the sights of the interesting village. Maybe look at all the buildings, or move out further, towards the sea a long way on the horizon… but no. She only had eyes for the large building in the distance, set in the center of the entire village.

The one shaped like the head of a donphan.

Readjusting the strap of the bag slung around her shoulder, she hopped towards the building. Eventually, though, she slowed to a walk as she approached its front. Up close, it was so… intimidating.

It was surrounded by a moat, which seemed to be reinforced with stones. Stretching across the moat was what appeared to be a tunnel, shaped like a donphan's trunk. At the end of it was a big, wooden door, reinforced by iron bars.

So… this was it. This scary building was where it would all begin. This building, home to the legendary Donphan Guild.

She took a shuddering breath as she stood before the door at the end of the 'trunk'. This was it. After all of her journeying, going across the ocean on the Lapras Liner and travelling a fair distance across land on the Rapidash Express, she'd finally made it here.

She took a few tentative steps towards the guild's door and took another breath. In all honesty, now that she was here… her nerves were utterly shot.

She was already kind of shy and awkward by nature… but in entering these doors, she would come face to face with the two most important explorers of all time. Well… maybe aside from Team Unity, the rescue team who'd stopped the meteor from destroying everything. Or 'The Angels,' who'd founded Paradise and stopped the Bittercold. Or 'The Happy-Go-Luckies', of the Expedition Society, who had banded together to stop Dark Matter from petrifying the world, and sending it flying into the sun.

As she ran all of this information through her head, she gulped. Ugh… was she really ready for this? She wanted to make a name for herself… to rise up above her brother's glory, and to become a legendary explorer… but she had such a big bow to fill, figuratively speaking. Would she even come close?

She paused for a while before shaking her head hard and frowning. No. To go home now would be a complete waste of her journey. Not to mention, it would be very awkward to go crawling back home to Chimchar, her brother. She just had to bite her lip and… get to work!

She smoothed out the short fluff around her waist, slowly walked up to the door, placed her paw on the rope dangling next to it and, with a deep exhale, pulled it.

A bell could be heard from within the guild. Afterwards… silence.

Buneary waited. Upon noticing the periscope near her, she squirmed uncomfortably. They were probably gazing at her right this moment, weren't they? Analyzing her… Judging her… The whole thing made her feel so awkward, she could barely stand it.

Still, she could also feel… excitement bubbling up from inside. Soon, in no time at all… she was going to become an explorer herself, wasn't she? Taking on missions, stopping bad guys, and working her way up the ranks.

Maybe even all the way up to Silver Rank, like her brother. Heck, maybe even _higher…_

A smile worked its way onto the rabbit's lips, though she tried to suppress it. She was probably still being watched, after all.

Her extended ear pricked when she heard something heavy approaching from inside the guild. As it got closer, she realized that it was footsteps, coming from behind the large wooden door.

Before she knew it, the door slowly began to lower with a noisy rattle.

Buneary stood up straight. This was it! Her moment of destiny! She just had to make sure not to screw it up!

While still slowly opening, the door allowed her a peek through at who was on the other side, looking back at her. It was… a snorlax?

She blinked. Wait… this wasn't _the_ Relic Finder Snorlax, was it!? Donphan's partner, the one who'd helped save the planet from paralysis? Ooh, she was in the presence of a celebrity~! One of her heroes, even!

As the door opened up enough for them to make eye contact, her nerves shot up tenfold. Gosh, she'd expected a member of staff or someone similar to answer the door. Not someone as important as _him!_ She wasn't ready!

... But… he was so small! Only about four times her size, at most. She'd always imagined him to be way bigger, on account of him being a gosh darn snorlax! They wouldn't even fit in a door this size, normally, and yet…

She realized she was giving him a weird look and immediately tried to change it into a smile. "Oh, um… y-yes! Hello!" she called out to him, using every last nerve she had left to avoid melting into a nervous, fangirlish puddle.

"We don't accept salesmen and we don't want any surveys, so you'll have to go elsewhere," Snorlax called out to her. "Goodbye!"

Buneary's face fell in panic. "N-No, w-w-wait, I'm not a… those things!" she stammered desperately. "P-Please, I'm here for the guildmaster, and-"

Snorlax suddenly burst into a fit of giggles, catching her off guard completely. "No, no, don't worry, I'm just joking with you, sorry," he apologized, wiping tears away.

She stared at him, blinking in disbelief. After her brain caught on, she frowned at him. "H-Hey…! I thought you really meant it…" she whined.

He started to look sheepish. "A-Again, sorry…" He rubbed the back of his head. "If it's any consolation, they would have said that and meant it, over at the Wigglytuff Guild. Eheh…"

She tried to avoid pouting even harder. "I guess…" she mumbled awkwardly, not daring to argue. After all, she knew better than to argue with such a big hero of hers. Not to mention, he was the vice-guildmaster! What if he kicked her out for real!?

The door fully-finished lowering, allowing for entry. "Um… anyway, come on in!" the green bear called out, waving her inside. "We won't bite, I promise!"

She let out a breath and followed him as he turned and went further inside. "Th-Thanks," she mumbled shyly.

Well… he was certainly friendly, at least. She should take it as more of a blessing than a curse. Especially if it was as Snorlax said, and the Wigglytuff Guild really was a place where they would kick you out on a whim.

She shivered lightly. And to think that she'd considered going there, first.

Once she walked through the door, Snorlax pulled a lever. The door slowly began to close upwards behind them. Really slowly, in fact. Jeez, it sure was sluggish, wasn't it?

Thankfully, Snorlax didn't wait for it to fully close and just began down the hallway formed by the building's 'trunk'. She followed him.

As she followed along, her glee from before quickly built up in her chest again. Being led somewhere by one of her heroes...! Oh, she could faint~!

* * *

After a short walk behind Snorlax, Buneary arrived in a large dome-like room. As she entered, she gazed around at the walls in amazement. Whoa… a massive map of the world was coating the wall on all sides. So cool!

An area was marked out, highlighting Venture Village, which was apparently near some place called 'Drenched Bluff'. She found it pretty interesting! She briefly tried to see if she could find her home somewhere in the Sand Continent. However, she stopped when she bumped into something.

Looking, she saw a small fence with multiple handrails on it, circling around some sort of big hole in the floor with a set of spiral stairs inside of it. Snorlax was already making tracks down it, chuckling at her as he went down. "Coming?" he asked.

"Oh, um… y-yeah!" she replied. Pushing her bag up into a more comfortable position, she found an opening in the fence and quickly started down the spiral staircase.

She expected it to be dark lower down, what with everything being underground, and all... but the walls were lined with shimmering jewels that lit the place up. It was so pretty that she couldn't stop staring...

While they continued down the stairs, her attention was suddenly drawn to the massive hole next to her, in the middle of the stairwell. When she peered down and saw how deep and dangerous it was, even with a fence between it and her, she had to grip onto the fence's lower handrail for dear life. Oh, dear Dialga, how far down did this guild go!?

Snorlax chuckled again with a paw casually placed on the higher handrail. "You know… they had to build the stairs _extra_ strong when they dug this place out," he explained. "All the exercising I do might make me smaller than my mom ever was… but I'm still pretty heavy, y'know. We were afraid the whole thing would crack up when I went walking around."

Buneary screeched in surprise. "I-It's not gonna do it _now_ , is it!?" she cried, gripping onto the handrail with all her might.

Snorlax laughed. "Hasn't done it yet, so I'm hoping not!"

She shuddered. That didn't reassure her at _all!_

"Hey, hey, don't worry, miss," he said, taking on a reassuring tone. "I'm just joking to put you at ease. It won't collapse, I promise!"

"You kind of have a funny way of putting people at ease…" she mumbled in reply.

"Yeah… the guildmaster tells me to cut down on it all the time." He twiddled his claws together. "Um… on that note, please don't tell her _too_ much about my teasing, will you? She can be a bit, um… stern. Eheh."

Buneary's ear drooped. "Er… not _too_ stern, though, right?"

He waved his paws in dismissal. "Oh, no, no, nothing _too_ stern! Though I'd better warn you, if you're not ready for her, um… 'ways', she might come across as intimidating. Scary, even!" He gave a thumbs up. "But don't worry at all! That's just the way she is. Always sticking to saying just what she needs to say. She's actually got a very kind heart under that tough exterior of hers!"

"Well… okay," Buneary replied, wondering if she should be comforted to hear that or not. She supposed she would have to see for herself.

As she and Snorlax continued to descend the spiraling stairs, Buneary could see a room approaching. When she descended some more, she got a good look at it. A room bustling with activity.

She couldn't help but look around in amazement. In the large cavern-like room, there were pokémon almost everywhere she looked. Most were dotted around in groups, chatting avidly. Many were staring at the various bulletin boards littering the room. Though none seemed to be going near the black one adorned with spikes, for some reason.

An excited smile formed on her lips. It was amazing! There were enough pokémon here to rival the village she'd been born and raised in.

"This is the 'Bulletin Room'!" Snorlax chimed in, catching Buneary's attention. "It's where we post posters for rescue missions, and wanted outlaws. Or maybe some important news. A very important room, indeed!"

"Oh, it sounds like it," Buneary replied. Where she'd come from, there was also a bulletin board somewhere in town. It didn't compare to this, though!

"You look like you're wanting to join us, so I guess it's important you know this stuff, huh?"

Her eyes widened. "Huh? H-How did you know?"

"You sort of remind me of _me,_ before I joined Prodigy Wigglytuff's guild. A big ol' bag of nerves with big aspirations, right?"

She rubbed her arm. "Ah, well… I guess you're right, but did'ja have to phrase it that way? I'm not _that_ much of a big bundle of nerves…" She realized that she'd taken her paws off the handrail and immediately grabbed for it again.

Snorlax chuckled. "If you say so, miss. Anyway, this way, if you please! The place we want is on one of the lower floors."

She nodded, face warming. "Okay."

She followed him as he continued down the stairs. As he went along, Snorlax greeted several pokémon who waved to him from the Bulletin Room, or greeted him directly while walking past on the stairs.

While most either didn't seem to notice Buneary, or care enough to pay her much heed, a few pokémon looked at her in intrigue as she passed by them.

Becoming somewhat nervous, she felt the natural desire to hide away. Gulping, she ignored the feeling and waved at them in what she hoped wasn't too awkward a manner.

No matter what, she had to suppress her nervousness. If she didn't, she was going to be a wallflower again, for sure.

Once on the next floor, Buneary noticed a load of tables and chairs placed about in an orderly manner. In the distance, she could see another room filled with kitchen gear, behind a big counter. Was this where everybody ate?

"Everyone's favorite room, the dining room!" Snorlax said happily, inadvertently answering her question. "Doesn't need much more explanation than that, huh?"

Buneary giggled. "I guess not," she replied. She glanced around, frowning lightly in worry. "It looks like it'll get pretty busy in the hustle and bustle of dinnertime, though..."

"A bit, but don't worry. Everyone'll be too busy eating and _wanting_ to eat to crowd around you all at once, believe me."

"Well… o-okay," she replied, not fully reassured by that answer.

Snorlax started down the stairs again. "Now c'mon, miss! The next floor is the one we're headed to."

Buneary nodded and followed him down. As they arrived on the next floor, she could see lots of tunnels leading to Palkia only knew where. More striking than that, though, was the impressively large door off to the side of the stairs, decorated with carvings and symbols. It was almost like the sort of thing one would see in some ancient, mystical ruins, or something.

"Pretty easy to guess which one is the guildmaster's, huh?" Snorlax joked, making Buneary grin in amusement. "This floor is actually the one where everyone sleeps, but it's also the office for Donphan. And her bedroom, too, I guess. Um, and mine…"

"Oh, okay then," Buneary replied, feeling her nerves start to flare up again. Oh… that meant it was almost time…

"Below here is where the toilets and showers are. As well as a secret underground entrance to the bluff. Er, Drenched Bluff, that is. After that, it's just nothing but solid rock and nothing else."

She smiled, despite herself. "Okay then. This place is really cool! How long did it take to make it all?"

"Honestly, we've been at it ever since we achieved Guildmaster Rank, about five-ish years ago. With a little help from some friends from Post Town in the Mist Continent."

Her eyes widened. "W-What? How many ranks above Silver is _that?_ "

"Huh? Silver, specifically? Gosh, um…" He rubbed his chin in thought. "About… nine or ten? Something like that, but it's hard to say, since they started bringing in the ones from other places, too. There's all the 'Secret Rank' stuff, too, if you count it, but that's a whole kettle of fish of its own."

Buneary nearly felt her heart stop. As her brain finally processed the unbelievable information, her ear sprang up. "T _-Ten!?_ Um… _wow._ "

"Not too shabby, eh?" he replied with a chuckle.

"Not at all…" Wow. She had a very big bow to fill, indeed. Silver was the highest rank anybody had ever gotten where she'd come from. She would have to work _extra_ hard in this place!

Getting off the stairs, they quickly moved over to the grand door signifying the guildmaster's room.

Snorlax moved over and, after knocking, pushed the door open. "Visitor for you!" he called inside.

"Oh, okay," a deep yet feminine voice called out from within. "Let them in, please."

"Okay!" He indicated for Buneary to go inside. "Here you go."

She thanked him and walked past, into the room. Looking around, she saw all manner of charts and maps littering the walls, as well as the floor in some cases. There were certain board games on stands in some places, too, such as chess, checkers and that shogi thing which was becoming popular recently, from what she'd heard.

She caught sight of shelves lined with trinkets, treasures and other goodies. They were so cool that Buneary had trouble tearing her eyes away. There were things such as a golden box filled with gems, smooth stones with unown patterns on them, a brown rugged rock with a neat pattern inked onto it in white, and some weird… art piece, which had a silver donut-shaped base, a dark pink 'face' pattern on top, and was covered in golden rings.

There were more things to gaze at, but she shook her head and looked away. Her eyes widened in awe when she saw the guildmaster, Puzzle Solver Donphan, lingering near one of the many bookcases lining the walls. She was busy putting a book away with her trunk.

Wow… this was really _the_ Donphan in the flesh, wasn't it? The one who, when she'd been known as 'Puzzle Solver Phanpy,' had travelled alongside 'Relic Finder Munchlax' to the future, and had come back to save the planet from paralysis? The leader of Team Destiny, even?

Gosh… what an honor! Meeting Snorlax had been amazing, despite the awkward introductions, but Buneary was so excited to meet such a cool heroine! Though… it was also very intimidating. She had to make such a good impression, and she wasn't sure if she would be up to the task.

She took a very deep breath. "H-Hello!" she stuttered. Whoops.

"Hello," Donphan replied, moving over to her desk, which was in the middle of the room. She sat on a chair which crinkled as she faced Buneary, who slowly made her way over to the front of the desk. "How may I help you, little one?"

"I... I'm... here to..." Buneary's throat locked up. Especially as the elephant's glare caught her eye. She could see what Snorlax had meant.

"… Yes?" Donphan asked, leaning forward in her seat.

"… W-Well… you see, I-I'm…"

"… I suppose you're here to form an exploration team and join our guild. Correct?"

Unable to find the right words to reply with, Buneary nodded enthusiastically.

Donphan smiled, though her gaze looked just as stern as ever. "I see. You're a shy one, aren't you?"

"She's shyer than _I_ used to be, and that's quite the accomplishment, huh?" Snorlax said from the doorway, making Buneary spin around in surprise. Oh, he was still here?

Donphan snorted lightly. "… Correct, but manners, Snorlax," she chided.

"Eheh, sorry," Snorlax mumbled awkwardly.

Buneary pouted. Hmph. It wasn't like she _wanted_ to be nervous…

"Did you come here with a partner, by any chance?" Donphan asked.

Looking back at her, Buneary blinked. "H… Huh?" she muttered.

Donphan rested her trunk on the desk in front of her, in the same way someone would use their arm to prop themselves up. "Somebody to explore dungeons with, and share your explorer rank and treasures with."

Buneary's eyes widened. "O-Oh, you… you mean an… exploration partner?"

"That's right."

Buneary let out a small breath through her nose. "Well… I… used to be in… a _team_ , but… not anymore, I guess…"

"Ah." Donphan let out a light sigh. "While doing missions on your own is certainly possible, it's… not recommended. Dungeons are filled with all manner of traps, hostile pokémon and the like. If you get hurt, it may take some time for help to arrive, which is no good if you're in the middle of a mission."

"She's right," Snorlax agreed. "You should probably get yourself at least _one_ friend to form a team with, first."

Buneary felt her spirits drop. "Oh… okay," she mumbled. So she needed a partner, after all? It hadn't really occurred to her up until now, but it made sense. Even if she didn't want the chance of becoming a wallflower again.

Just where the heck was she going to find a partner?

"Oh well. It can't be helped," Donphan said. "Snorlax?"

"Oh, yes, Guildmaster?" Snorlax asked.

Donphan smirked slightly, though it dropped soon after. "It's fine if you just call me Donphan, you know."

He blinked before chuckling sheepishly. "Oh, my bad. I still slip into that, sometimes. Well, it'll set a bad example if we're not at least a _little_ official, right? "

"Most likely, but I don't mind." She turned to Buneary and smiled. "On that note, we're not as stern as some other guilds, so use whatever names help you feel comfortable. Okay?"

Seeing Donphan smile helped ease Buneary's nerves immensely. Despite the elephant's scary disposition, she really _was_ nice, wasn't she? "Um... yes, Miss Donphan," Buneary said.

Donphan's smile shifted to a small smirk once again. "Somehow, I knew you would pick the polite option." She turned to Snorlax, smirk fading. "Anyway, do you suppose you would be okay to do a mission for me, Snorlax?"

Snorlax made a small hum of surprise. "A mission? Me?" he asked.

"Yes. Please escort Buneary through Drenched Bluff and see what she's capable of. I'll take over sentry duties, in the meantime."

"Well... sure!" he replied happily.

Buneary did a double take. "M... Me, Miss Donphan!?" she yelped.

"You'll be fine, little one," Donphan reassured. "He might not seem it, but out of the two of us, he is easily the strongest."

"A bit of a debate, that one..." Snorlax added, "but at the very least, if there's any trouble, I'll deal with it, lickity split!"

Buneary paused, mulling the idea over. After a short while, she smiled. "Um... w-well, okay!" She balled a paw and raised it in a show of determination. "I'll... do my best!"

"That's the spirit! Meet me downstairs, and I'll go get everything ready."

Donphan gathered up an important-looking book and left her desk. "And while you're away, I'll try and figure out a plan of action for your team issue," she said.

"Okay! Um, thanks! A lot!" Buneary replied, beaming widely.

"That's okay. Good luck out there."

"I'll try! To, um… be lucky with things!" Buneary replied, face warming at her awkward response. It warmed even further when she heard the two guildmasters chuckle at her. Dang it…

She sheepishly began to leave the room. Noticing the weight of her bag, though, she stopped. "Umm…" she started, glancing down at it.

"Anything the matter, little one?" Donphan asked.

"O-Oh, er, no, it's okay!" Buneary reassured, looking at her.

"Hmm… it's about your bag, isn't it?" Donphan asked.

Buneary stared at her in surprise. "Wow, how did you know?"

The elephant huffed softly. "You glanced down at it a lot just now. Is it not for exploring?"

"Well… it is, sort of… but it has all of my stuff from home, right now."

"Hm. Understandable."

"Guess that saves us ordering another treasure bag, huh?" Snorlax said.

Donphan grinned faintly. "That it does." She nodded towards the corner of the room. "Leave it there for now."

"Oh… will it be safe, there?" Buneary asked. She rubbed her arm. "I, er… don't want anyone going through it." Not when she had such… personal belongings.

"Don't worry about it. Anybody who looks through it will receive toilet cleaning duties for a week, mark my words."

"Well… okay," she replied, feeling a bit better about it. Well, if the guildmaster was sure about it, then…

"Now come along, miss!" Snorlax said, indicating to outside of the room. "Adventure awaits!"

She beamed at him. "Um, a-aye, aye!"

While walking out of the room, as Snorlax held the door open for her, she nearly squealed in excitement. This was it! This was the stepping stone in her new life of adventure, fame and glory!

She was finally going to work towards getting the respect she wanted!

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

**Finished:** 24/04 (April)/2020

**Word count:** 4,070

**VGS2's notes:** And there you have it! The fan revival of Questing For Respect has begun! :D Hope it's caught your interest so far. Lord only knows if it'll live up to ravengal's older version, but I'm confident that it'll do pretty decently. Hearing about most of the stuff that'll be in ravengal's upcoming remake, though, I think she just might blow me out of the water. XD We'll see, though!

Not much else to say, other than go and read ravengal's fic, [Birds of a Feather](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21592519/chapters/51484195). If you liked Time/Darkness/Sky, I think it'll give you a fluff overdose, believe you me. It's very popular on AO3, so don't just take my word for it! Go and have a heart attack now! :D (Figuratively.)

**Fun mistake/s of the day:**

**#1:** 'She expected it to be dark, what with **bing'**

(Buneary doesn't like Microsoft's search engine very much. When she looks for cute pictures of her family, awful things happen if she doesn't turn safe search on, first.)

**#2:** 'the large cavern-like room, there were pokémon almost everywhere she looked. **Dooted** around in groups,'

(Stop dooting this instant!)

**#3:** '"Oh, okay then," Buneary replied, feeling her nerves start to **flair** up again.'

(Wrong 'flare'. Unless her nerves really do have some stylish flair.)

**#4:** 'Bookshelves were also lining the walls, with books'  
(What else would they be bloody filled with? Human heads?)

**#5:** 'Despite her disposition, she really _was_ **ice,** wasn't she?'

(Ice, ice, baby…)

**#6:** 'While walking out of **them** room,'

(Look at this chav over 'ere. Usin' right cockneh slang, innit, guv'nha! Gettin' ready to do 'er chimney sweepin' at five o' bong, she is.)

**#7:** "Somebody to explore dungeons with, and bunk with at night"

(Ahh, crud. I forgot I changed the lore, so that everyone gets their own room! Err, let's say that Donphan forgot, too, lol.)

* * *

Welp, that's it for now! I'm hard at work with this fic, so expect more stuff soon! :D 'Till then, make sure you drop a favourite and/or a review, and I'll see ya soon! Tata for now! c:


	2. The Embarrassing Meetings

**VGS2's notes:** Y'know, I don't usually consistently do my author's notes at the top of a chapter... but hey, ravengal's original [Questing For Respect™](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8352633/1/Questing-For-Respect) did 'em, so why not, eh? XP I'll have comments at the bottom, too, of course, so no worries there!

All the same, hope you guys are ready for a fun little bonding chapter in a place you'd never expect! :D

* * *

* * *

Now on the bottom floor, Buneary couldn't stop bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement. Ooh, when was Snorlax going to get here? The second he did, it was time for her first adventure here in the guild. She couldn't wait!

Deciding to distract herself to kill some time, she looked around the floor she was on. Aside from a small alcove filled with chopped wood, for some reason, it was mostly just rugged, rocky walls. That said, there was _one_ passageway.

Hmm, this was apparently the floor that the toilets were on, as well as the… showers, had Snorlax said? She'd never tried a shower before. Only baths in hot rivers, and the like. She'd heard about them on her travels, though. They sounded interesting!

She wouldn't lie… she was very curious. So curious, in fact, that she decided a little peek inside wouldn't hurt too much. Even if it _was_ a lot colder on the bottom floor than she would've liked…

Still, she was sure the water would warm her up!

She wandered down the hallway. After a short time, she was inside a very moist-looking cave-like corridor, with brown walls and gray floors. The sounds of dripping water were constant, and she could see it dribbling down the walls in some areas. Despite that, though, the place seemed free of mould and mildew. A sign that it was probably cleaned regularly.

At the end of the hallway, she could see a large door, not unlike the one at the entrance of the guild. The entrance to Drenched Bluff, maybe?

On the left hand side of the corridor, she could see stone cubicles with wooden doors. The toilets, she guessed. One of them seemed to be in use, so she decided not to pay too much attention.

Looking to the other side, she saw hundreds of leaves growing on the vines stretching across the walls. It looked like those yellow-green leaves that people liked to use as a cheap alternative to soap. Close to them, carved into the wall, she saw a long basin with water flowing through it. Like a tiny river with water coming from one hole, flowing into another. Because of the way the basin was shaped, the water flowed downwards in a slope, possibly to be convenient for pokémon of different sizes.

A little further along the hallway, she found them. The showers!

She could tell it was them. The floor - which took up a big chunk of the room - was colored a lighter shade of gray to the rest the room, drain-like holes were dotted across it, and most notably, odd patterns could be seen on the ceiling, above. They also looked like holes, though currently covered up.

She could also see a big cubicle next to the showers, also with holes above. Huh, so... could people use the showers together, as well as in private?

Well… as long as she wasn't uncovered, then that was okay, she guessed. She would have to watch herself whenever she needed a more 'thorough' wash, though.

Speaking of having a wash… she was even more deathly curious about what it would be like than ever, having a shower. She was only used to bathing in warm rivers and hot springs, due to where she used to live.

She moved over to the public shower. Seeing a lever on the wall, she eagerly tugged on it.

The holes in the ceiling opened up, allowing water to rapidly sprinkle down on her.

Cold, _cold_ water.

She shrieked and danced around in a frozen panic. Oh, lord Dialga, it was cold to the _freaking boooone!_

She leaped out of the shower like a woman possessed. She heard a bang afterwards and twisted around in surprise. She saw a pink and white block-shaped pokémon coming out of a cubicle. She looked distinctively female and had loads of strange antlers coming out of her head. As well as a sheet of tissue paper stuck to one of her four feet.

"W-What's going on!? Where's the fire!?" the pokémon yelled in a very feminine voice.

As Buneary realized what had happened, her face warmed considerably. Oh, great. She was already causing commotions... "Um, I'm... really, really sorry," she said, fidgeting awkwardly. "I, er... the shower was... really, really cold."

The pink pokémon stared at her, blinking every now and again. After several seconds, she snorted loudly in amusement. "Ah, I... I see," she said, seeming to be forcing down a grin. She burst into a fit of the giggles.

Buneary pouted as her face burned with embarrassment. "H-Hey...! I'm used to really warm areas, so this cold water was nasty..."

The pink pokémon waved her stubby hands in dismissal as she tried to catch her breath. "S-Sorry, it's... it's understandable, it truly is."

Buneary pouted even more. "You don't sound like you mean it, much..."

The pink pokémon smiled sheepishly. "N-No, I do..." She turned around. "Anyway, um... please give me a sec. I'm almost done~" She walked back towards the cubicle she'd come from.

Buneary huffed in displeasure. Her eyes widened considerably when she noticed that the pokémon wasn't covered up at the back, meaning the rabbit could see her... um... whoops.

Buneary's face scrunched up something fierce, trying as hard as she could to stop herself from laughing. Once the pokémon closed the door, Buneary lost the fight and started to giggle loudly.

"Hm? What's so funny out there?" the pokémon called out from inside her cubicle.

"Oh, n-n-nothing...!" Buneary called back, not wanting to cause a scene. Well, _another_ scene.

"... Er... okay...?" A flushing sound came from the cubicle. Shortly after, shuffling noises were briefly heard until the pokémon gasped. "Wait... oh no..." She squealed. "I didn't cover up before coming out, did I!?"

Buneary's giggles went louder against her wishes. "It's, um... I-I didn't... see anything!" she lied.

"Ohh, but you're giggling..." the pokémon mumbled. Buneary could just _feel_ the embarrassment radiating through the cubicle.

Buneary finally felt her giggles die down. In their place was a small amount of guilt. "I'm sorry... it really doesn't matter, though. It's alright."

The door slowly opened and the pokémon's head poked out, now looking more red than pink. "It sort of does matter if you saw my tush, though. So embarrassing..."

"Well... I won't tell anyone," Buneary replied with a sheepish smile. "Um... it'll set us even, right?" She let out an awkward chuckle. "We both embarrassed ourselves!"

The pokémon blinked. She joined in with a little giggle of her own. "Oh, you're so charmingly nice, aren't you?" The redness in her face seemed to die down somewhat. "Sure, we'll, um... put this behind us." She cringed lightly. "... No puns intended."

"Sounds good!" Buneary replied with amusement.

The pokémon walked out of the cubicle and made her way over to the soapy leaves. Buneary noticed that her backside was covered up, meaning that her cheeks and... everything else was out of view. To be honest, the rabbit had no idea how she'd managed to cover up with her awkward biology... or what she'd covered up _with,_ having no fur... but Buneary wasn't about to pry, so it was anyone's guess.

After grabbing a soapy leaf, the pokémon smiled at Buneary. "So, then... are you new?" she asked.

"Oh, um, yes. I am! I haven't gotten a team, yet, though."

"Ohh, okay then." The pokémon began to wash her stubby hands in the wash basin. "I'd invite you over to my team, Team Cuties... but I don't think it would work, sadly."

Buneary's ear dipped. "Oh, that's a pity... Am I not cute enough?"

The pokémon cringed in surprise. "Huh? Oh, no, no, no way, that's not it! It's more like... my teammate, Whimsicott. She's a very... particular pokémon with things. She's told me that she would prefer a loud, 'cheerleader' sort of pokémon on the team. So that we can be more like Team Charm, the legendary treasure-hunting girl gang. They're Whimsicott's heroes, and they're practically a cheerleader squad in everything but name, so..."

Buneary sighed. Oh, she'd heard of that team. There was no way she'd be up to _their_ standards… "Ah. Well, fair enough. I'm, er... not very loud."

"You don't really seem loud, no..." The pokémon smiled at her. "Don't worry, though! Someone as precious as you is bound to find a partner or two~"

Buneary smiled back at her. "Thanks!"

The pokémon looked back at the shower, which still had water pouring down from the ceiling. "Whoops! Still running," she said.

"Ah. S-Sorry…" Buneary mumbled awkwardly.

"Not to worry. It comes straight from the bluff, and goes back into the sea, after. Then the bluff gets more water from… er, elsewhere. Nothing's wasted!"

"Oh, well, that's not so bad…" She blinked and glanced at the toilets with a concerned frown. "Um… where does…?"

The pokémon followed her gaze. Her eyes widened in realization and she giggled. "Oh, I know what you're thinking! Don't worry, all that goes to a place where farmers can come and collect it. Y'know, for berry growing and all that."

Buneary's concerned frown stayed, though for different reasons. That was… sort of an embarrassing thing to think about. "Er… okay." Forcing herself not to think about that too hard, she looked back at the shower with dread, eyeing up the lever within the sprinkling cold water. "Well, I… guess I should turn this thing off, shouldn't I?"

"No, no, I've got it~" the pokémon chimed, walking through the cold shower towards the lever, and flipping it upwards. Buneary noted, while trying not to be too jealous, how the pokémon didn't seem to mind the cold water at all.

The holes closed, stopping the water from coming down. Buneary sighed in relief, hoping she never had to go through that again.

As she relaxed, however, she suddenly became aware of how cold she still was, no thanks to the shower. Shivering, she jammed her paws into her fluff for warmth. Because it was cut so short, though, she could only dig it into the top, which she'd kept poofy for style.

"Oh dear. That shower did you no favors, did it?" the pokémon asked, looking at her in concern.

"I-I came from a really hot place where the water's always hot. So I sort of expected the water to be… not cold."

The pokémon snorted quietly, though frowned sympathetically. "You poor thing, you." She gave her a curious look. "But wait… your fluff?"

Buneary looked down at her short fluff, which was barely thicker than her brown fur. "Oh… I keep it short, because of where I came from, so…" She made a mental note to let her fluff grow out after saying that.

"Ahh, good point. It sure is shorter than a normal buneary's, huh?" the pokémon frowned sympathetically. "Well, that's certainly a pickle. Being one of those ocean water-types, my body's really used to being cold, so it's no issue for me. Can't imagine how bad it is for you."

"So lucky..." Buneary stared at her. "Wait. You're a... water-type?"

"Hm? Oh, yep!" The pokémon grinned. "I'm a corsola, so I'm part-water, part-rock~"

Buneary's eyes widened in awe. "Ooh... I've never met one before! You're so pretty, but you're rock-type?"

"Such a flatterer~. Well, I'm made of coral, which, when I harden my body, is _sort of_ rock-like." The pokémon - who Buneary could guess was called Corsola - walked closer on her four feet. "Here, give my branch a squeeze~"

Tilting her head, Buneary moved over to Corsola and lightly pinched the water-type's antler-like branch. It was somewhat squishy, but rough at the same time, with just a hint of being rubbery. It was the weirdest feeling to describe, but it was really interesting.

"Wow..." the rabbit mumbled.

Corsola grinned proudly. "And... as promised, I can do _this,_ too!" she started.

The branch hardened drastically in Buneary's grasp, surprising her. "Whoa, yeah, it's gotten hard!"

Corsola's grin grew. "You got _that_ right~! I can control most of the cells on my body, so I can go really soft..." She allowed her branch to droop, "... or I can go stiff as a rock!" Her branch sprang to life, becoming hard again.

"Ooh, that's so-!"

It broke off in Buneary's paw.

She blinked. She stared at it.

"Oh, haha, whoops," Corsola said. "That always-"

Buneary's face fell in horror. "Oh, lord Dialga, it _broke_!" she screamed.

Corsola yelped. "Oh, er, i-it's okay! It's just-"

" _I'm killing you_ , _I'm so sorry!_ " Buneary squealed hysterically.

Corsola waved her hands in a panic. "P-Please, really, it's okay!"

Buneary tried to forcefully reattach it to Corsola's head. "Hang in there, I-I can put it back!"

"N-No, you can't, Buneary! It doesn't-"

"Hold on, I'm coming to save you!" a voice called from outside the bathroom, sounding high-pitched, yet boyish.

Buneary yelped and twisted to face him. He tackled her onto her back before she could tell who it was.

Dazed, she tried to push herself up. The boy put his hands onto her chest and pushed her back down.

"D-Don't move, you!" the boy shouted. Looking at him, Buneary saw that it was some wispy black pokémon with red eyes. "I heard everything! Y-You're an outlaw- No... you're a nasty _renegade_ who's trying to kill Corsola!"

"W-What!?" Buneary yelped, frightened. Oh no... for hurting Corsola, she was really going to get it, now, wasn't she!?

"Yamask, c-calm down, please!" Corsola cried out. Looking up at her, Buneary saw her frantically waving her stubby hands in a panic again. "Buneary here just made a mistake, and it scared her silly. She's _far_ too nice to be killing _anyone_!"

The boy, who was apparently called Yamask, stared at her. "... Um... really?" he asked nervously.

"... Really?" Buneary also asked. Oh... had she done something dumb?

"For sure!" Corsola said. "Now, please, don't freak out, and, um..." She looked down at Buneary with an awkward expression, "... don't let anyone catch you in that position, Yamask. They'll think _you're_ the renegade."

Yamask gave a confused murmur and looked down at Buneary. As she looked back at him, she realized where his hands were comfortably resting.

Buneary squealed, face becoming red hot. She held her arms up to protect the soft mound on her chest that, while covered and constrained by fur, she didn't want him anywhere near.

He squealed just as loudly and flew away into the air. His face was bright red, to the point where she couldn't tell where his eyes were, anymore. "S-Sorry! I'm sorry! Oh, legends, I'm so embarrassed! And..." He gasped in horror. "O-Oh no, oh _no!"_ He pulled the golden mask on his tail off and held it over his face. "P-Please don't scream and hit me and threaten to call the police, like Salandit did that time I didn't know she was in the toilet, and I walked into the cubicle, and..." He squealed again in terror. "Oh, this is it for me! I'm _finished!_ "

Buneary could only stare at him as he rambled. Wow... wasn't _she_ supposed to be the mortified one? Instead, she couldn't decide if she felt amused or felt bad for the black wisp.

Looking at Corsola, she saw an awkward look on the coral's face. Noticing her, Corsola gave the rabbit a sheepish look, which she was all too happy to share.

Buneary hopped to her feet and faced Yamask. "H-Hey, don't worry! It was just an... honest mistake, right?" she called up to him reassuringly.

Yamask stopped shivering and peeked at her from behind his mask. "You're... not angry?" he asked carefully.

"Not really, no. In fact, um... it's really _me_ who should be apologizing, because of the screaming, and... all that." She chuckled awkwardly.

"... Oh. Okay, then." Yamask reattached his golden mask to his tail, which fell back into place under him. He smiled, albeit a bit nervously. "Well... thanks." He chuckled just as awkwardly. "Yeah."

"Aww, she's such a cinnamon roll, isn't she?" Corsola asked, giving Buneary an adoring look. "If she doesn't fit right in here, then I don't know who would~"

Buneary's face warmed bashfully. Gosh, now who was flattering _who?_

"She's a lot nicer than some of the girls here," Yamask agreed. "I haven't been yelled at, or gotten punched, so that's a good thing."

"Definitely~." Corsola replied. She let out an amused hum. "Look at you, though. Rushing to my aid, even when you think a renegade's around. Maybe, just maybe... you're a bit of a cinnamon roll, yourself!"

He looked at her in surprise. Shortly after, he bashfully rubbed the back of his head. "W-Well... it's the right thing to do, y'know? Anything to help out!"

"How sweet~" She grinned lightly. "Though, um... maybe next time you should use one of your moves if you see a renegade, and not just tackle into 'em."

His face gained a red tint to it. "... I panicked."

She giggled. "Yamask, you're so rash~"

Buneary smiled at the pleasant atmosphere. Something occurred to her to ask, though. "Say... I've heard of, um... _outlaws,_ before. I've never seen one, but... um, yeah, what's a 'renegade'?" she asked.

Yamask and Corsola seemed to cringe lightly. The reaction perplexed the rabbit.

"They're, um..." Yamask started, "... some pokémon are, um... very rarely, they're really-"

" _Heyyy, Buneary?_ " a voice called out from within the guild, interrupting him. It was a bit gruff, yet goofy, so it sounded like Snorlax.

Down the hallway, Buneary saw him slowly making his way down the stairs, looking around for her. "Um... I-I'm in here, Mr. Snorlax!" she shouted to him.

He looked down the hallway and smiled upon seeing her. She saw a bag by his side, attached via a strap. His treasure bag, maybe? "Ah, there you are, miss!" He did a light jog down the hallway, greeting everyone as he arrived next to them. "My, my... making friends already, are ya?"

She beamed. "I... I guess so!" she said happily. She paused and looked back at Corsola and Yamask. "Um... that is... we are, aren't we?" she asked meekly.

"You bet, Buneary!" Corsola replied, smiling widely. "Even if we're not on the same team, I'd _love_ to do some more meet and greets with you~"

"Er, s-same, I guess!" Yamask agreed, smiling awkwardly. "... Won't lie, though. I'm more than a little awkward around girls. If you're alright with that, though, then..."

Beaming again, Buneary let out a pleased hum. "Thanks, guys!" she chimed.

"Well, isn't that swell?" Snorlax said, smiling warmly. He gasped lightly, as if something occurred to him. "Hey, you know what? Why don't you two come with us and show Buneary here the ropes?"

"Ooh, why not?" Corsola chimed. "On a nice morning like this, Whimsicott likes to go for a float on the breeze towards Capim Town, before any exploring. So I'd say I've got a good hour or two~"

Yamask nodded. "My teammates probably won't even _wake up_ until way after we've finished, so sure! Sounds good," he said.

"There you have it, Buneary!" Snorlax said happily. "Does that seem hunky dory to you?"

"Oh, y-yes, definitely!" Buneary said, beaming. "Thanks, everyone!"

Everyone gave her an eager response.

The rabbit's smile widened further. She had so many people who were willing to help her out, already. And just for her sake, too. She'd never felt so important!

She wouldn't let them down!

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

**Originally finished:** 28/04 (April)/2020

 **Word count:** 3,249

 **VGS2's notes:** None of them appeared in the fic yet ('cept for a quick mention for one of 'em)... but I may as well mention 'em! I actually asked two pals of mine, [PokeMaster64](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4281947/PokeMaster64) and [MewLover54](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/3245692/MewLover54), if they wanted to donate a team of OCs, each. Generously (and knowing me, possibly unwisely), they actually went ahead and made some up for me to use! :D

I won't say who those OCs are just yet, but considering ML54 and PM64 were nice enough to lend me their imaginations, I definitely think they deserve a bit of a shout out. Go read their stuff, and drop some nice reviews, too!

Ah, and on that note... this doesn't mean that I'll be doing OC submission requests, because I know how crazy you guys get with 'em. Seriously, admit it, when I mentioned 'OCs' and 'submissions', you got a bit excited, didn't you? XP That said, no promises, but who knows what the future might hold?

 **Fun mistake/s of the day: #1:** "They **looked also** like holes, though currently covered up."

(Ugh, I hate it when fics use this sort of language all the time. It's sort of pretentious, like a Shakespeare play, or something. XD)

 **#2:** "Such a **flatter** ~.

(That's a rude thing to say to a lady.)

 **#3:** 'He again in terror.'

(Yamask duplicated in his fear. )

 **#4:** "so that's a **god** thing."

(Buneary becomes a god.)

* * *

Alrighty, that's that! 'Till next time, when Buneary's first adventure goes underway... tata for now! c:


	3. The Wet Rabbit

**VGS2's sausage notes:** Here we go! Time for our heroine and her friends to go on their spelunking adventure! Huzzah! :D

The next few chapters will be a good chance for you to learn how the dungeons work in this world. Battles and bonding are to be expected, too, of course! Hope you enjoy. :P

* * *

* * *

Buneary followed Snorlax, Corsola and Yamask, as they wandered to the end of the hallway that the bathroom was made up of.

"Well, everyone, it's time!" Snorlax proclaimed, stopping in front of a large door, similar to the one at the front of the guild. "I brought supplies, just like I said, but I don't think it'll take us too long to go down to the final floor from here. Technically speaking, we're already on floor four... so we're about halfway there, already!"

"Oh, okay!" Buneary replied, bouncing on the balls of her heels in excitement.

After looking through some sort of tube - likely one that was connected to a periscope to the outside - the bear pulled a lever. The door slowly began to open downwards, as a result.

As it slowly opened more and more, Snorlax gestured to it. "Just to stop wild pokémon and outlaws from sneaking in," he explained.

"Ah…" Buneary mumbled. That made sense.

"Very brave or maybe very _dumb_ outlaws," Corsola joked, earning amusement from Snorlax and Yamask.

"Well, it'll help keep them safe from Whimsicott's wrath, I guess…" the wisp mumbled.

Corsola let out a huff. "Oh, no doubt about it…"

Buneary looked at them in confusion. She didn't really get any of their jokes. To be perfectly honest, she didn't even really believe in outlaws.

Sure, some bad pokémon existed, like bullies and jerks… but her belief was that all pokémon had some good inside of them somewhere, so who would truly want to commit 'crimes,' as they were apparently known?

The door finally opened all the way, allowing them access to a small, rocky room. It wasn't unlike the bathroom, but it was rather unremarkable in comparison. Nothing stood out, aside from the rope next to the door, which she assumed was a doorbell.

Well… one thing stood out in the room. Something substantial, actually. There was a very large, square section of the floor that was cut out, forming a hole. She could see a very moist-looking cave through it. Clearly Drenched Bluff.

Buneary looked at the hole in wonder. It seemed to be covered in crystal or something, meaning that she could stand on it. Though she didn't really want to. It was fairly high up…

"Checking out the elevator, there?" Corsola asked.

Buneary tilted her head. "'Elevator'? This hole, here?"

"Yep!"

"… Um… what's an elevator, sorry?"

"You don't know what an elevator is?" Yamask asked.

"We didn't have too many, um… special things, back where I used to live…" Buneary mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Well, don't worry about that, miss," Snorlax said reassuringly. "It was the same for me and Guildmaster Donphan, back in the day. We were so used to the absolute basics in Treasure Town that, when we travelled to the Water Continent, we were practically _blown away_ by how advanced everything was!"

"I went to that place, once, to, um…" Yamask started. He paused to take a deep breath, "visit my uncle, who works there." He smiled. "In Lively Town, they have things like… _electronics!_ I still don't understand most of the stuff I saw."

"Huh… well, okay, then," Buneary replied, feeling a bit more upbeat about her lack of knowledge. "The world sounds so amazing, if this is only the tip of the iceberg..."

"It is! And you'll get to see it all, too, someday. No doubt about it!" Snorlax said, making Buneary giddy with excitement at the idea. "Anyway, if you're still wondering what an elevator is, then I'll show you." He moved over to the crystal-covered hole in the ground and stood on it.

Buneary was immediately on edge. "H-Hey, um... will you be okay s-standing on that thing?" she asked.

"Of course!" Snorlax said. "In fact, this thing could probably take, like, nine people at once." He paused and tapped the crystal with his foot. He grinned sheepishly. "... Maybe more like four. But still!"

"... You're still not the best at being reassuring..." she said, pouting at him. He chuckled awkwardly as a result.

"Don't worry, Buneary~" Corsola said. She jogged to Snorlax's side and beamed back at her while posing on two legs. "I trust it~"

"I-I do, too!" Yamask said eagerly, hovering next to her.

Buneary giggled lightly. "You're floating, though..."

"Silly Yamask...!" Corsola chided.

Yamask began to blush. "W-Well... I'm just saying, if I _couldn't_ float, then I would trust it. Y-You know?" he mumbled, floating lower as if to prove a point.

Everyone chuckled at him again, making him look even more embarrassed.

With calmer nerves, Buneary let out a shuddering breath. "Okay, I'll try it," she relented, getting small cheers in return.

She really didn't want to do this... but she had no chance of making it big if she acted like a coward, now. No, she could do this!

With slow, careful steps, she crept onto the crystal floor. She shuddered when she saw that she was pretty high up. Not enough to be lethal, but enough for her heart to nearly stop at the mere _thought_ of the floor giving way. "W-W-W-What now?" she stammered.

"Going down~" Corsola chimed.

"Huh?" Buneary murmured, looking at her in curiosity. Her eyes widened as she saw Snorlax grin lightly and reach for a lever on a wooden part of the floor. Oh, lord Dialga, she'd just realized how it worked! "W-Wait, I-" she started frantically.

Snorlax lightly pulled the lever. The platform rattled noisily and started to slowly lower.

Buneary shrieked. Panicking, she lunged for the one closest to her, which was Yamask. She reached past his mask, wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into him in terror.

He cried out in surprise and started flusteredly saying things. Buneary was freaking out too much to really pay attention, though. _Aghhhhh!_

* * *

On the cave floor next to the elevator, Buneary's face was absolutely burning in embarrassment. Yamask, hovering nearby, looked just as embarrassed. If not more so.

Remembering what she'd done, Buneary's face heated even more. In her panic, she'd apparently buried her head into his groin. She'd only realized after her forehead had grown strangely uncomfortable over time.

Oh, good legends... she was going to be remembering this event for quite a while, she just knew it. At least he was sort of handsome, if nothing else. Wait, or did that make things worse...?

"S-Sorry again..." Snorlax said, smiling sheepishly. "I didn't think you'd get so upset. I even made it go down slowly, and everything..."

"It's okay...!" Buneary mumbled. "I'm just happy it's over, now, and I didn't die..."

"Now that's a bit much, isn't it?" Snorlax asked.

"You were fine!" Corsola said, giving Buneary a reassuring smile. She pointed up at the hole embedded in the cave ceiling, connected to various gears and cogs adorning the wall next to it. "It's not a very far fall, so you would've lived~"

"Barely..." Buneary mumbled, giving the elevator structure a dirty look.

The coral giggled lightly. "You're such a drama queen, aren't you...?"

"W-Well... only a little bit…" Buneary replied with a little pout.

"Let's, um... let's just... do our adventure, please," Yamask mumbled, starting to quickly float away, further into the cave. "I'm already really mortified, so..."

"H-Hey, wait up!" Snorlax called to him, jogging lightly behind. He looked back at Buneary and Corsola. "Er, off we go, team!"

"R-Right behind you!" Buneary called back, hopping along to catch up.

"Don't leave us behind, you two!" Corsola called out, running along beside her.

* * *

Walking along the dark, damp floor of the cave with her teammates, Buneary glanced around. Water was constantly dripping down the moss-covered walls, and puddles of it were everywhere. She could see why this place was called _Drenched_ Bluff, easily.

She inhaled, inadvertently taking in the scent of salt water as she did. She wouldn't lie... she was rather anxious right now. She'd explored dungeons before... but always in a somewhat big group, and _never_ under the watchful eyes of such a famous explorer. She had to make an especially good impression, now!

She glanced around at her current teammates to ease her nerves. Corsola was skipping along to her side without a care in the world. Yamask was floating around nearby, glancing about somewhat cautiously. Thankfully, he seemed a lot calmer than ten minutes ago. He wasn't looking away from her with a blush on his face, either, which was a bonus.

Snorlax was in front, leading the group. As a result, Buneary got a good look at his back. It was strangely muscular, which was a nice contrast to his slightly round belly and... admittedly goofy face.

Ooh... now that she was paying attention, he was quite attractive from the back, actually. Especially lower down...

She blinked and shook her head. Tsk, what was she thinking? Snorlax was quite a bit older than her, at... around thirteen years old, did the stories say? It wasn't exactly taboo for a young adult like her to have an interest in people seven years older than her, but still... she wasn't too interested. After all, what would he think of her if he found out what sorts of things were going through her head right now!? She would get kicked out of the guild for _sure!_

She bit her lip as she kept staring. Well, all that said… she couldn't deny that she liked what she saw. His back was just _too_ nice. If she wasn't careful, her mind would start wandering. After all, she was sure he would have a nice backsi-

She yelped loudly as a cold drip landed on her head, throwing her out of her thoughts. She shivered as it traveled down her neck. Ohhh, her poor heart. She was going to have to get used to this, wasn't she…?

"Enjoying yourself, Buneary?" Corsola asked in a slight joking tone.

"Ugh... not really," the rabbit complained. "Are all the dungeons in this region as cold and wet as this one?"

"They're certainly pretty dank in these parts, huh?" Yamask said.

"It varies a lot, you know!" Corsola chimed. "I used to live on a beach, near a dungeon called 'Marine Resort'. That place was a big ol' beach, itself."

"Wow! Really?" Buneary asked, liking the sound of that.

"Yep~"

"Ooh, I explored there with my little friend Manaphy, once," Snorlax said, looking back at them. "In the summer, the water's warm enough for a spa treatment!"

"Gosh, that's so different, isn't it!" Buneary said in excitement. She held her paws to her face dreamily. She pictured a hot, sunny beach, like the one on the island she'd once lived on. "I can just imagine it..."

"A whole beach for a dungeon... that's crazy!" Yamask replied in disbelief. "How do dungeons like that even work, anyway? I thought they were all caves and... indoors, and stuff."

"You'd be surprised," Snorlax said. "Dungeons... which got that name, I think, because so many people end up lost, and holed up in them..." He chuckled briefly before clearing his throat sheepishly. "Um, they're any big magical mazes where wild pokémon roam around a lot, and where things like items and traps randomly appear, for some reason. Some dungeons are caves, some are mountains, some are, well... beaches. There's a lot of variety! And people are always finding new passageways in them, so there's always something new to see!"

Yamask looked at him in wonder. "Ohh... so they can be pretty much anything, as long as they have those things?"

"That's right!"

"Huh, cool!" Yamask smiled at Buneary. "That means you have an excuse to go sometime, huh?"

"He's right!" Corsola agreed. "And I'm sure you'll be dungeoning up there, before you know it!"

Buneary's eyes lit up. "Ooh, I hope so~" she chimed.

Corsola giggled. Her peppiness was infectious, because Buneary giggled, too.

"Hah, oh, that's the happiest I've heard you, Buneary!" Snorlax said, sounding pleased. "I think you'll get your confidence faster than _I_ did, back in the day."

"M-Maybe..." Buneary mumbled, smiling bashfully.

"I haven't been here long," Yamask started, "and _I'm_ already starting to feel better about things." He chuckled sheepishly. "Even though I was a nervous wreck, myself."

"Not helped by, um... all of your shenanigans with some of the girls..." Snorlax said awkwardly. "I still can't believe we got three complaints in just over a month."

"Ohhh, don't remind me...!" he said, covering his face in embarrassment.

"W-Wow!" Corsola said, gasping. "You've only been here for as long as... well, _that,_ Yamask! How does it keep happening?"

"Blame my teammates and my bad luck... " he grumbled, turning away. "I..." His eyes widened and he pointed towards something off to the side. "There's a wild pokémon straight that-a-way!"

Everyone quickly turned to see. Buneary's eyes widened when she saw a pink gastrodon. The sight of it would have brought her some nostalgia, if not for how angry it looked.

"You got that right! Get outta here, explorer scum!" the sea slug yelled, sounding male. "And take that dumb base with you!"

Buneary's heart skipped a beat. Oh, dear... why was he so annoyed? He looked ready for a battle, too. Not to mention really tough...

"There you go, Buneary! Why don't you try fighting him?" Snorlax said, pointing at him.

She stared at him in shock. "W-What? Why _me?_ " she asked.

"In dungeons, you'll have to fight a _lot_ of wild pokémon, believe me. So I just want a good look at your abilities, you know?"

"Oh, I... I-I guess that makes sense..." she mumbled. She looked at the angry pokémon in worry. She saw him sizing her up, likely after hearing what Snorlax had said.

Anxiety flowed through Buneary's chest at the slug's gaze, making her take a step back.

"Don't worry, Buneary!" Yamask said. "Wild pokémon are usually territorial, or... just mean. You'll be fine, he won't do anything nasty!"

"If anything goes south, we'll be the backup!" Corsola added. She waved her arms back and forth like a cheerleader. "You can do it, yeah~! _Go, go, gooo, Buneary!_ "

The nervous energy from before faded as Buneary looked at her friends. Maybe... just maybe she had this. Yeah, they were right.

She frowned determinedly. "Y-Yeah, thanks! I've got this!" she called to them. She hopped closer to the gastrodon and mentally prepared herself for action. She had no idea how this was going to turn out. But good or bad, she had to try, or she was _never_ going to get out of her brother's shadow!

The gastrodon growled and looked like he had begun to concentrate. Surrounded by an eerie glow, chunks of rock the size of Buneary broke off from the walls and ceiling. They floated towards the sea slug and hovered near him.

Buneary took a breath. Oh, this was it! She took a crouching stance, ready to dodge.

The gastrodon gave an angry cry and threw the rocks at her all at once.

She leapt to the side. The rocks suddenly changed course and pelted her.

She was sent rolling across the floor, squealing in pain. When she stopped a fair distance away, she rubbed her aching rib. Oww...! But she'd dodged out of the way! What'd happened!?

"Ancient Power lets 'em control the rocks right up until they break!" Snorlax called to her. "Gotta be careful!"

Buneary groaned. She had to remember that.

"Just stay down, home wrecker!" the gastrodon yelled, shaking as if to charge an attack.

She hopped to her feet and prepared herself. She saw the rocky floor around the gastrodon grow wet and muddy. It even began to bob, like water.

Buneary took the initiative and conjured up some energy in her feet. She used Bounce and leapt high into the air. She barely grazed the wet ceiling of the cave before shooting downwards feet first, towards her foe.

Muddy water sprang upwards from the floor surrounding the gastrodon. It smacked into Buneary as she came down, but she went right through and slammed her feet into the gastrodon's face. She used it as a springboard to leap a safe distance away, leaving the slug to wobble backwards in pain.

Buneary landed with a splash in a muddy puddle. Looking down at her short fluff, she cringed in disgust at how muddy it was. Eww... what a great start to the exploration _this_ was...

Her rolled ear popped up when she heard a rumble from behind. Turning, she yelped when she saw some glowing rocks heading her way. She ducked down, letting them fly overhead. Darn it, no time to get careless...

Rolling onto her back, she saw the rocks fly towards the gastrodon to levitate next to him. He launched them back at her.

Her instincts kicked in and she brought her feet up. With Bounce, she kicked a rock away. It crashed into the other rocks and sent them flying back at the gastrodon while enveloped in blue energy, smashing into his face and launching him away.

He groaned and stayed down.

Buneary blinked. Had she... won?

She heard her friends cheer for her. When she turned to see them waving at her eagerly, her victory finally set in and she beamed brightly.

She'd done it! She'd won! Not only that, but she was being _respected_ too! Even if just a little.

The satisfaction was indescribable. And to think… this was just the first stepping stone, too!

She got to her feet and moved over to them. "Um… how'd I do?" she asked.

" _Very_ well!" Snorlax said. "I'll be honest, I thought you were gonna have a rough time… but I guess I underestimated you, huh?"

"I-I guess so," she replied, face warming from bashfulness.

"This _can't_ be your first time battling," Yamask said.

"Um… not really. I used to be a part of an adventure squad. Going on small missions in big groups, and… stuff like that."

"Oh, yeah, I remember you saying something about that," Snorlax said.

"Oh me, oh my, Buneary, so you're actually a dungeon veteran!?" Corsola said with a gasp.

Buneary slowly tapped her paws together. "Not really… I did some fights, and helped out a bit here and there... but everyone just sort of... um..." She looked away. "... Did everything. And... left me in the dust." Her cheeks warmed even further. "... I'm pretty much still a novice."

"Um... oh," Corsola replied, looking a little awkward. She smiled, though it was obviously forced. "Th-That's okay! You'll improve in no time, I just know it!"

"No way you're a novice, Buneary! You're _skilled!_ " Yamask said, frowning. "You went all out on that gastodon! He hit you, like..." He smacked a fist into an open palm, " _bam_ with those rocks! But you got up, jumped up and flew _right_ into his face with a _woosh_ and a _crash_!" He let his hand sail through the air and slap into his golden mask, held up by his tail. _"_ It was _aweso-!_ " He stopped talking and stared at the three other pokémon, who stared back at him. After a short while, he brought his golden mask up to hide his intense blush. "... I'll stop."

"Um... thanks," Buneary mumbled awkwardly, feeling intense second-hand embarrassment. Especially as she realized that Snorlax and Corsola were amused at Yamask's ramble. She wouldn't lie that she was on cloud nine after all the flattery... but oh, dear Dialga, he was a bit of a nerd when he got excited, wasn't he? It was charming, though, so she didn't mind too much.

Corsola giggled at him. "My, my! And everyone thought _Elgyem_ was the flirter on your team," she teased. "Must be rubbing off on you."

Yamask dropped his mask in shock. It landed in a puddle, splashing Snorlax and making him yelp. "W-What!? I-I'm not flirting! I'm... trying to motivate her!" he argued, gesticulating wildly.

Corsola giggled again. "I'll believe you~. ... Maybe."

He frowned flusterdly. "Ughh...!"

Overwhelmed, Buneary looked off to the side. Flirting? Well... she didn't know about _that_ , but the idea still sent a shiver down her spine. Having a cute boy try to chat her up... oh, now _that_ was a pipe dream.

Snorlax bent over to reach for Yamask's mask. Buneary wasn't complaining. "Hey, now, now, you two," he chided, picking it up. He flicked water off it and gave it back to the black wisp. "Save the fighting for later! We've got more dungeon to explore!" He paused before murmuring awkwardly. "Um, I mean... wait 'till _never_. Don't fight, please."

"Of course!" Corsola replied, amused. "Please lead the way~"

"Er, y-yeah..." Yamask mumbled, fumbling with putting his mask back on his tail. It was only then that Buneary noticed that the expression on the mask seemed to be a permanent grimace, appropriately for its owner.

"Okay," Buneary said, giggling at everyone's antics.

* * *

Buneary and her friends continued through the drizzly cave, stepping over many puddles, or walking around them as they did.

The rabbit stole another glance at her fluff as she moved along. The mud covering her was still wet, even though the battle against the gastrodon had happened about ten minutes ago.

She pulled a face. Ick... she needed to take care of that at some point. The water here was cold, though, so definitely not right now.

After a short while, Snorlax accidentally stepped in a puddle. It apparently stirred up a thought, though, because he gasped and turned to look at Buneary. "So, Buneary… how much do you know about traps?" he asked.

"Huh? Traps?" she mumbled. She tried to imagine what he might have meant until something clicked. "Oh, wait… do you mean those… picture things that pop up on the ground, sometimes?"

He nodded. "You got it! I guess it makes sense you'll know what they are, seeing that you've, um… 'adventured' before."

"I-I guess so! I didn't step on too many, though, because I was… always at the back of the group."

"Um… ah."

"You know, I haven't seen many traps on my travels, yet," Corsola admitted.

Snorlax shrugged. "Well, you haven't been with us long, either, so it's fair enough."

Corsola hopped over a puddle. "Anything to teach?"

His face lit up. "Oh, plenty! Well… like Buneary said, they're pretty much just panels with pictures, lying on the ground. They stay hidden until you step on 'em, which makes them do something, based on what the picture might be."

"Yeah, like… the one with a voltorb for a face," Yamask said. "They blow up, don't they?"

"B-Blow up? Uh oh…" Buneary mumbled. "How do you avoid _that?_ "

"There's a few ways to avoid traps…" Snorlax replied. "Like… throwing something at them. Or using an orb that deals with them. Or… well, stepping on them." He chuckled at his joke.

Buneary and Corsola giggled lightly. Yamask just sounded confused, though. "… You… avoid them by stepping on them?" he asked. "Won't you just get a face full of it if you do that?"

Snorlax blinked. He smiled sheepishly. "Whoops. Phrased that all wrong." He shrugged lightly. "Well, you get me. It's not easy, avoiding traps. Even if you can float or fly, they'll still 'sense' that you're above them. Heavens only know why."

"Really?" Buneary asked. When Snorlax nodded, she glanced down at the soggy ground worriedly. "Wow. Traps are so mysterious…"

"Pokémon still don't know why they appear in dungeons, either," the bear continued. "Some pokémon like to lay them down, I guess for mischief or to protect their territory… but they're so common that it starts to look too weird for it to be _just_ that."

"Ooh, so… some cool dungeon magic, maybe?" Yamask asked, sounding impressed by the very idea.

"Probably! Same as orbs, scarves, wands and that sort of stuff."

"… Wands?" Buneary asked. "Not like… magical fairy godmother wands or something, right?"

Snorlax grinned at her, looking amused. "Er… they're not quite _that_ fantastical, but the idea's sorta similar. Point and shoot." He reached into his bag and pulled out a jagged stick decorated with yellow swirls. "Here, why don't you try it on the next enemy? Should have a few uses afterwards, too!"

"Oh, um… o-okay! Thanks," she replied, taking it as he passed it over. She had to hold on with both paws, careful as not to drop it. Thankfully, it was small enough for her to grasp without too much hassle.

"Have you ever used an orb, Buneary?" Yamask asked.

She turned her gaze away in embarrassment. "I… wasn't really trusted with them…"

"Huh? You weren't?"

"Nuh-uh…"

"Well, _I_ trust you!" Corsola said with a friendly smile. "Next orb I find in this place can be yours~"

Buneary smiled back. "Well… thanks, Corsola."

"Don't mention it!"

Content, the four pokémon continued down the cave. Eventually coming across a fork in the road, they decided to turn right, into a corridor. Not long after, they ran into a strange plant creature, which Snorlax revealed as a lileep.

"… I need food. Gimmie yours," it said, drawing closer. Buneary couldn't tell its gender from its voice or appearance.

"Oh, good, it's hostile!" Snorlax said, sounding a bit too pleased at that for Buneary's liking. He smiled down at the rabbit. "Now, Buneary! Zap 'em!"

Her eyes widened. Oh, right, yeah, the wand! Panicking, she held it upwards with both paws. With a war cry, she brought it down in front of her and shouted, "Uh, fire, wand-! _Whoops!_ " It flew out of her grasp and smacked against the floor. A jagged beam of yellow energy shot out of its tip and hit Yamask, making him squeal.

"Wah! Yamask!" Corsola cried out.

"S-Sorry!" Buneary called out.

"Um… whoops," Snorlax said. Because of her sensitive hearing, she could faintly hear him mumble a comment to himself about how he could 'see why she wasn't trusted with orbs'. Though saddened, Buneary only sighed and didn't say anything.

An odd, wall-eyed look came over Yamask, and he wobbled drunkenly as he hovered. "What's… where… why…?" he said in a slur, looking around.

"… Huh?" the lileep said. "… I'm confused."

"Not as much as Yamask," Snorlax said. He pointed at the black wisp. "Watch out, guys! That was a confuse wand, so-"

"Oh, v-villains! They're here!" Yamask yelped. He brought his hands together, conjuring something. He flung several purple, fiery balls in Snorlax's general direction. They went off course and veered into Buneary, making her cry out in shock. She paused when she noticed it simply dissipate without even a hint of pain, though. Huh?

"Are you okay?" Corsola called out. She was about to say something else, but the lileep sprayed some orange gunk over her. It sizzled on contact and made her scream. Uh oh, was that acid? Ohh, Buneary had really messed up, this time.

"Whatever. I want my food," the lileep said, not caring for Corsola's pain.

"Um… not now, please," Snorlax replied. With some light grunting, he began to lift the lileep, his paws glowing. What appeared to be its feet clung to the floor, even stretching to stay attached, until they came loose with many loud pops.

The lileep yelped as it was hoisted upwards. Unable to resist the temptation, Buneary looked under it as it rose. She noticed that subtle, featureless bump all males had, kept decent by coverings such as fur, scales, or… whatever lileeps had. Wow, that thing had been a boy? Not a very attractive one, then...

The lileep choked on air, clearly surprised. "W-Wait...! My Suction Cups didn't wor-?" he started.

Snorlax didn't wait for him to finish. Enveloping him in a dark aura, he effortlessly threw him so hard that he went careening down the corridor. He disappeared into the darkness of the cavern before Buneary could see him land.

Whoa, what strength was _that!?_ She couldn't stop staring at Snorlax in awe. Wow… it was clear to her that he had great back muscles for a reason, then.

She shook her head and moved over to Corsola to check on her. Thankfully, the acid had dissipated, but…

… Ow. _Ow!_ What the heck? Buneary checked herself over and noticed that red patches had started appearing on her body in random places. It felt like she'd been burned, though why was she just feeling the pain _now?_

She gritted her teeth and tried to bear the pain as she checked over Corsola. It felt like her skin was on fire, but still, she tried her hardest to put that aside for Corsola's sake. "A-Are you okay?" she asked.

"Ohh, that burned something fierce…" Corsola grumbled.

"I know how you feel…"

"Will you be okay, there?" Snorlax asked, looking concerned.

She grinned and pulled a small pose on two feet. "Yep! It's nothing I… can't handle~"

"That's… that's good," Buneary replied though the soreness.

Snorlax nodded in agreement. He reached into his bag for something. "Alright, um… I didn't think we'd need it, but I guess I'm glad I brought _this_ then," he said, pulling out a persim berry. He carefully moved over to Yamask. "Open up wide, Yamask!"

Yamask opened his mouth wide, took a deep breath and sprayed out some dark, black mist in the bear's face, making him stumble backwards. It spread, soon enveloping the entire corridor.

Buneary had to squint in order to even see the ground in front of her. Yeesh, what move was _that?_ She wasn't complaining too much, though. It left the air surprisingly cold. The frosty chill against her burns was nice enough for her to let out an involuntary breath. Maybe the cold wasn't bad _all_ the time…

"Oh no, not Haze…" Snorlax mumbled. He sighed and, from the sounds of things, began to fumble around in the fog. "C'mon, Yamask… take your persim berry!"

"I-I don't want gold bars!" Yamask yelled incoherently from a small distance away, down the corridor. Buneary heard Snorlax's heavy footsteps follow after the voice.

Deciding that the man knew what he was doing, the rabbit took the moment to rest her stinging burns. Well, at least this wasn't as bad as that time she'd accidentally touched a lava puddle. That had stung to high Heaven and back.

"Wow… Yamask has a powered move, already?" Corsola said, sounding impressed.

"A… A what now?" Buneary asked.

"It's just like what it sounds like, Buneary. A move that's more powerful than normal~"

"W-Well… I guess so…" Buneary replied sheepishly.

The coral giggled before continuing. "Haze usually just lets you shoot off some mist, which brings everyone's power changes to normal. What Yamask shot off was strong enough to be some crazy smokescreen, too, though, huh?"

"Yeesh…"

"I know, right? I hear you'd have to train for, like, _ages_ to be able to pull those off, normally! Yamask must be skilled. When he's not, um… making his 'mistakes.'"

"Haha, um, yeah…" Buneary tenderly nursed a burn on her leg. "Ohh… this is why no one trusted me with orbs back in the adventure squad."

"Oh dear. Are you a little bit clumsy?"

"… Y-Yeah. And all because of Klutz."

Corsola gave a nervously awkward chuckle. "That's… really harsh to say about yourself, isn't it?"

"Oh, n-no, it's my… ability. Klutz."

"An… ability that… makes you clumsier?"

Buneary's extended ear drooped. "Yeah… and scarves won't work, either. Their energy just doesn't… flow through me. You know?"

Corsola didn't reply immediately. The fog began to fade enough for Buneary to see a cringe on her face, though. "… Gosh. Well, that's a bit depressing. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay… but I bet you won't want to give me that orb anymore, huh?"

Corsola blinked. She smiled very awkwardly. "H-Hey, no… you're still… trustable with orbs! I'll _still_ give you one, for sure!"

Buneary sighed but tried to smile all the same. "Thanks…"

"D-Don't mention it! Anyway, let's, um... go meet up with the others." Corsola began walking down the corridor, towards where the others had wandered away to.

"Sure," Buneary replied, following after her. She passed by the confuse wand as she moved. Not knowing whether it was still useful or not, she carefully picked it up and carried it along.

* * *

Buneary and Corsola walked for quite some time. They encountered many forks in the road and quite a few corridors, but were still unsuccessful with meeting Snorlax and Yamask.

Corsola sighed when they came across another fork in the road with no teammates in sight. "I guess they went pretty far, huh?" she said.

"Yeah..." Buneary replied with a sigh of her own, gently dabbing some cold water from the walls and floor onto some of her sore burns. She was careful not to drop her wand as she did. "Does this sort of stuff happen often?"

The coral smiled at her. "Sometimes, but it's okay~. Find the way to the next floor, and you'll find your partners, easy."

"Hm... that makes sense." Buneary pulled a face as something came to mind. "But... what if your partner gets into trouble, and you're not there to save them?"

"Oh... well... Snorlax is there, so it'll be fine~"

"He won't _always_ be there, though, right? We're not as strong or as experienced as he is…"

Corsola blinked. "Ah, well... I, um..." She scrunched her face up in thought. After a short while, she smiled sheepishly. "To tell you the truth... I dunno. Whimsicott's the brains and I'm sort of her yes-woman, so I just go along with _her_ plans."

"… Ah." Well, that explained why she made such a good cheerleader. "Well… it's okay. Snorlax's here _now_ , so we'll be good."

"Yup! For the meantime, though, let's get finding them!"

Buneary nodded eagerly and looked at both of the pathways. One led to the left and one led to the right. The cave wasn't especially dark, so she could see down both of them… but there was nothing notable to see. Just wet, dripping caves, either way.

"Any ideas?" Corsola asked.

Buneary knitted her brows in thought. Making any sort of plans with the stinging pain from the burns, though, made things a bit difficult.

She suddenly acknowledged the sound of running water. It made something in her head click, inspiring her to look at both paths with her ear extended. It was quiet, but she could hear more activity going on in the left-hand one. "How about there?" she asked, pointing at it.

"Okie-dokes!" Corsola started down it. Buneary followed.

* * *

Buneary and Corsola wandered through the caves some more. The rabbit liked to imagine that they knew what they were doing, but it was admittedly just aimless wandering.

It wasn't all doom and gloom, though. Along the way, they'd found an apple and a small bag of money in different locations. The way that they were just randomly dotted about really proved Snorlax's words, about things just showing up in dungeons with no rhyme or reason.

The duo had shared the apple - both halves eaten with gusto - and tied the bag of money around Buneary's waist. It was tiny, so she barely noticed it as she moved along.

She hissed in pain as she brushed her burned foot against a rock jutting from the wall. Agh… whatever move Yamask had hit her with was one she _definitely_ wanted to avoid for the rest of time.

"Are you okay, Buneary?" Corsola asked. "You've been pulling some weird faces and making even weirder noises for a while."

"Ah, I… I think Yamask burned me, earlier," Buneary admitted.

Corsola gasped. "Ohh, really?" She looked the rabbit up and down. She pulled a face. "Oof, yeah, I can see, now. You're red as an apple in some places. Dang, why didn't you say anything before, Buneary?"

Buneary's face warmed. "I, er… didn't wanna cause a scene…" she mumbled.

Corsola let out a breath through her nose, though she smiled anyway. "Oh, that's just like you, Buneary…" She looked around and pointed into the distance. "Look, there's a big pool of water over there! Why don't we go and take care of your burn?"

Buneary looked into the same distance. She saw the glimmer of some water, confirming Corsola's words. "Oh, wonderful! Y-Yeah, let's go. This burn's getting a bit too much…"

"Poor thing…" Corsola replied. She walked towards the water. "Well, time's-a wastin'!"

Agreeing wholeheartedly, Buneary quickly went along with her.

As Buneary caught up, Corsola shot her a smile. Her look changed to one of concern as she eyed the rabbit up, though. "Gosh, are you sure you don't want me to carry at least a _little_ bit of stuff?" she asked, pointing at the confuse wand and the bag of money the rabbit was carrying. "You're gonna turn into Kangaskhan Storage, at this rate!"

Buneary let out a giggle and shook her head. "No, it's okay. I like to be useful," she replied.

Corsola smiled again in an amused way. "Oh, Buneary, you're so special. Well, if you insist~"

They continued onwards. Once they reached the end of the corridor, the rabbit looked around. It was a huge cavern space, filled with enough water to classify as a lake. It stretched from wall to wall, practically making the whole room a pool.

She stared at the shimmering lake in awe. Wow… she'd seen her fair share of underground cave pools, but they certainly grew big down here, didn't they?

She couldn't stop herself from admiring the view. Corsola leaping into the pool without a second thought and splashing her with water threw her off, though. "Aghhh, _cooold!_ " she wailed, shivering.

Corsola surfaced and beamed up at Buneary. "Water's great, Buneary! Come, get your burns soothed!" she called out, apparently not hearing the cries of dismay.

Buneary let out a small sigh. Well, she didn't have to worry about getting used to the temperature anymore, at least. She placed her confuse wand on the ground and slowly moved into the water, hissing in displeasure at the cold bite of the water. Once up to her neck, she felt herself getting used to it. The feeling became heavenly against her skin.

"Bet that's a lot better, isn't it?" Corsola asked.

"Yeahhh…" Buneary sighed, feeling her burns practically melt away. She could see the mud that had gathered on her begin to wash off, too.

She jerked her head back in surprise when Corsola swam closer and started to delicately rub the remaining red patches on Buneary's torso. Her hands were colder than the rabbit had expected.

Corsola let out a soft giggle. "Whimsicott hates my 'icy hands' technique, so I hope you like it a bit more~"

"Y-Yeah, thanks," Buneary replied, a little embarrassed at the intimate contact, but appreciating the much-needed cold against her still tender skin. She could see that her fur was rapidly returning to its usual brown state. Oh, thank goodness…

"I can't even _begin_ to think what being a grass-type's like. Being so weak to burns and ice, and all that." Corsola pulled a face. "That said, grass really hurts _me,_ so…"

"I guess you're sorta one to talk, then, huh?" Buneary joked, chuckling.

Corsola also chuckled, though awkwardly. "Umm… just a bit." She cleared her throat, as if to change the topic. "So anyway, Buneary! How're the first impressions going? Could'ja see yourself joining the guild?"

Buneary nodded happily. "Definitely! I, um… I-I was worried it would be a bit like a boot camp, or something. But everyone's so nice, aren't they?"

"Yep! Nothing like that nasty Wigglytuff's Guild." Corsola let out a small sigh. "Y'know, me and Whimsicott tried to join those guys, first… but they're _soooo strict!_ The vice-guildmaster wouldn't stop yelling angrily at us, the guildmaster acted like he was a little bit, um… high on gas from a confusion trap, and, well… there weren't all that many guildmembers, really. They didn't look all that happy to be there, either. Especially that real boyish pancham..."

Buneary laughed, incredulous. "Wow. I'll, um… bet you didn't stay very long, did you?"

"Not a chance! We ran on day two~"

"I don't blame you…" Buneary replied. Well, now she was _really_ happy she'd chosen this guild and not _that_ one.

She suddenly noticed something in the distance, across the water. She saw Snorlax and Yamask, both on land. Technically, in the floating wisp's case. They didn't seem to have noticed the girls, yet.

Buneary pointed it out to Corsola, who looked over, brightening up at the sight of them.

"Ooh, lovely!" the coral chimed. "I guess that cuts out the middleman of finding the next floor~"

"I-I guess so, but... what about the water?" Buneary asked, indicating the water separating them.

Corsola looked at her, confusion plastered on her face. "Huh? Well, you can swim, can't you?"

"A-A little bit, but there'll be wild pokémon in the water, won't there? If it gets too deep, I won't be much of a fight…"

"Um... uh oh. You might be on to something..." Corsola mumbled, frowning worriedly. She looked around and pointed at the walls while perking up. "You could… maybe sidle along on the sides, or something?"

Buneary looked around at the walls. She hoped to find some ledges, or some shallow parts of the lake to carefully tread across. It wasn't looking good, though. The only land she could see was a small island against a wall, far in the distance. "Ah, I dunno…" she mumbled. "It looks a little bit too… impossible? Maybe?"

Corsola's happiness deflated. "Ah. Well, if not _that,_ then maybe, er... we should, um..." She sighed. "... I dunno."

Buneary let a breath escape her nostrils. To be honest, there were plenty of other things they could do. Shouting to catch Snorlax's and Yamask's attention... backtracking through the cavern and taking the long way around... swimming and hoping for the best... or maybe even sending Corsola over to get their attention.

Ahh, but those options didn't feel right, somehow. Most of them would take too much time, and almost all of them wouldn't help her become a great explorer, would they? Relying on other people too much, again. Dang it, what would her brother, Blazing Chimchar, do?

She was about to settle on shouting for the boys' attention. However, she thought of something else that made her eyes go wide. Wait... she knew what to do! "Corsola, I've got it! Let's start a pokémon tower!" she suggested excitedly.

The coral blinked blankly at her. "... You want to build a tower? Like... to catch their attention?" she asked.

"O-Oh, um... not a real tower. I mean... you're a better swimmer than me, so... if I hop on top of you, we could go together! Um, i-if that's alright with you, of course."

Corsola smiled in realization. "Oh! So you want to use me as a boat, is that what you mean?"

Buneary smiled sheepishly. "It sounds a bit selfish of me when you put it that way. S-Sorry..."

"No, no, that's not selfish. I am a bit bigger than you, after all! Sure, let's do it to it!" Corsola faced away from Buneary and sank under the water slightly.

Taking the invitation, Buneary retrieved her confuse wand and happily climbed onto the coral's back. As she carefully stood up - making sure not to slip on the wet, rubbery surface - Corsola rose, allowing her face to be above water level.

"Away we go!" Corsola chimed. She started swimming towards where Snorlax and Yamask were.

As they went along, Buneary found herself enjoying the ride. Wow, it was just like travelling on Lapras' back, when she'd left Wellware Island.

Her fun was cut short when another lileep burst out of the water a short distance in front of them. It stared Buneary and Corsola down with a scowl, obviously wanting to pick a fight for some reason.

Buneary took a breath to calm her nerves and frowned. "Corsola, I-I think we've gotta fight!" she called down.

"Well ahead of you~" the coral sang, nodding. She gave a cry and started up a move.

Feeling the energy of the move from under her feet, Buneary tapped into it. When she could sense it flowing into her, she used the same move.

The fluff on her body and ears stiffened, becoming hard to the touch. She could feel Corsola's body becoming harder, too. Like a rock, almost. Was the move she'd used Harden?

The lileep moved closer and extended the petals on its head. The petals shot forwards and wrapped around her body and Corsola's before either of them could react.

They squealed in surprise. They squealed again when the petals constricted, crushing them. The hardened fluff on Buneary's body helped to lessen the pain, though, and she was sure things were similar for Corsola.

The branches on Corsola's body started to glow blue, and icy pillars began to form all around her body. Though, thankfully, not on top where Buneary was standing.

Taking note, Buneary tapped into the move and caused icicles to form all around her ears. Corsola fired off all of the icicles at once, which all went into different directions, either missing or barely grazing the lileep. Buneary followed suite and also fired off her icicles at the lileep.

The dozens of small icicles slammed into the pokémon. It shrieked and started to quickly swim away. "Ohh, screw _this!_ " she said in an obviously feminine voice. "I wanted a good fight. Not _pain!_ "

After the lileep swam a fair distance away, Buneary let her fluff soften again, breathing a sigh of relief. Well, that went well.

"Wooow, Buneary!" Corsola shouted in surprise. "You know Icicle Spear, too!?"

"Oh, n-no, not me," Buneary corrected, failing to stop a proud grin from forming. "When we form pokémon towers, we can fight together and share moves!"

"Ooooh, not bad~!" Corsola chimed. Buneary couldn't see her face from where she was, but she sounded quite happy. "I've _got_ to tell Whimsicott! She'll wanna try that out as soon as we can! Gosh, you're a smart one, Buneary."

Buneary bashfully fidgeted with the wand she was still holding. "Well... it's nothing, really. Me and my brother's squad would do that all the time."

"You're so modest! Well, in any case, you're better at shooting things down with icicles than _me_. My ability, Hustle, makes it a bit hard to aim straight."

"Oh, man... that's worse than Klutz," Buneary mumbled sympathetically.

"Oh, hardly. They say my ability makes my attacks tougher, so at least I have _that_ going for me."

Buneary blinked. She held back the urge to pout jealously. "Ah, well... um, I guess so."

Corsola made a sound of content. Shortly after, she started swimming again. "Say… how do you, er… share moves, again? It sounds complicated."

"Not at all! You just have to… um… _feel_ my energy, and um… use it."

"… Ah."

"Does that… make sense at all?"

"Not much, I won't lie to ya."

"Oh…" Buneary sighed. She was so bad at this… "Okay, well… next enemy we see, I'll use Bounce. So just, er… try and sense it, won't you?"

"Got'cha~"

They went forwards a little bit more. Snorlax and Yamask seemed to be dealing with a battle of their own against a hoard of shellos, so they hadn't noticed either of the girls.

Buneary frowned worriedly. Oh dear, were they in the middle of a 'monster house'? One of those big groups of hostile pokémon, gathering to attack someone for one reason or another?

Well, Snorlax was there, so it would probably be alright.

They almost reached land until something flew in from the side. A big, nasty-looking bat with scales, a white mane and dish-like ears. "Explorers! Prepare for a thrashing!" he screeched in a manly voice, flying closer.

"Uh oh. I didn't know a noivern lived here!" Corsola said, sounding worried.

"N-Now, Corsola! Let's do it!" Buneary cried out. She started her Bounce attack.

"R-Right!" The coral grunted, as if trying to charge something. She gasped. "Wait… I can feel something! Is that the Bounce?"

Buneary nodded eagerly. "That's the Bounce!"

"That's the Bounce~!" Corsola sprung up high into the air. She narrowly dodged a noisy laser, which uselessly crashed against the water.

The duo cheered as they went up. Wow, it had worked better than Buneary would've guessed! Maybe she was okay at doing... this... Uh oh.

As the two reached the ceiling, Buneary got a good look at how high they were. Oh, Lord Dialga, she didn't like this.

She gulped. N-No, this was fine. She could handle it.

Corsola went careening downwards with another cheer. Buneary screamed.

Panicking too much to think straight, the rabbit tossed her confuse wand and threw her arms around Corsola.

The coral yelped in surprise. The air around Buneary suddenly grew colder. Daring to crack an eye open, she barely noticed that icicles had surrounded Corsola again, with some even jutting out from under her. She clamped her eyes shut when she noticed she was still falling like a brick.

"What the-!? _Aghhh!_ " the noivern yelled. Buneary felt a harsh _thud,_ as if Corsola had crashed into him. They all tumbled down into the water with a splash.

Still gripping to Corsola for dear life, Buneary stole a quick glance around. She saw the noivern floating in the water under Corsola, having fainted. Corsola was standing on top of his huge body.

"Ooh... that was, um... pretty cool!" Corsola said.

"Y-Yeah..." Buneary mumbled. Her muscles refused to let her move her arms, so she stayed wrapped around Corsola.

The coral gave an awkward chuckle. "I would'a never thought that, um... I could combine your Bounce with my Icicle Spear to make my feet spiky and, um... yeah."

"U-Uh huh..." Buneary mumbled, hoping her heart would settle sometime this century.

"... Buneary, uh... how long exactly are you gonna be groping my titties, for?"

Buneary blinked. She absentmindedly felt around at where her paws were. It was squishy, and Corsola made a sound of displeasure.

Buneary squealed in shock, immediately let go and hopped to her feet. She nearly slipped because she got up so fast. "Oh, Lord Dialga, I'm sorry!" she yelled. "I got scared and did that without thinking! I-I didn't know!"

Corsola giggled loudly. "Buneary, you're so special. Please, don't panic so much!"

"B-But..."

"Really, it's fine!" The coral paused. " ... Now."

Buneary pouted. "That means it isn't fine."

"Th-That's not what I said," Corsola said quickly. "I mean it. Though... maybe you should watch you don't get a reputation like Yamask's. Am I right?"

"Hmph!" Buneary retorted.

Corsola giggled again.

"Hey, who's talking about me?" Yamask's voice came from nearby.

Buneary turned around with Corsola. The rabbit saw Yamask floating closer to them, over the water.

"Hooray, you noticed us!" Corsola chimed.

"Did you see us coming for you, across the water?" Buneary asked with a smile.

Yamask pulled a face. "No, er... I was fighting some people with Snorlax, and then _this_ thing hit me on the head." He held up the confuse wand Buneary had been carrying earlier. "Glad it didn't go off. Eheh…"

"Oh dear, it must've been while we were using Bounce," Corsola said. "She was so scared, she must've thrown it."

Buneary felt her face go red hot. "Oh... s-sorry..." she mumbled, shrinking back from embarrassment.

"Th-That's alright," Yamask replied. He rubbed his head. "... I think I'm starting to get a bit fed up of this wand, though."

Buneary gave a light, awkward chuckle. "Y-Yeah..."

"Oh, hey!" Snorlax said, wading up to the group. He was apparently big enough to not need to swim. "I saw what happened with that little balancing act of yours. Very impressive!"

"Thank Buneary for that!" Corsola said. "She taught me how to do it! Sharing moves with a pokémon tower!"

"Ahh, so that's how you leaped into the air, is it? Using Buneary's Bounce?"

"Yup! That's how I got 'the Bounce~'" she chimed.

Buneary giggled lightly at the wording. Now that she thought about it, they'd worded that so weirdly, hadn't they?

"A pokémon tower? _Nice!_ " Yamask said, looking starry-eyed. "It's sorta like that Team Blast thing I learned from watching The Angels fight, back at Paradise! I'm so impressed!"

Buneary's face went warm for a different reason than before. "Oh, well... it's nothing, really...!" she replied, grinning bashfully.

"Like _heck_ it isn't!"

Snorlax nodded. He gave a tilt of the head. "I've got to ask, though... I heard you screaming in terror from across the lake when you were both in the air," he said.

Buneary stared at him, wide eyed. "You... You did?" she asked, embarrassment creeping in. Oh, whoops.

"Yeah. Er, and it made me wonder... why... do you have Bounce? If you're terrified of heights?"

Buneary awkwardly fidgeted with the poofy part of her fluff. "W-Well... it's... different when _I_ Bounce."

"It... is?"

"... Yeah."

Snorlax scratched the back of his head. "I... see."

Buneary looked away in sheer embarrassment. Ohhh, well, there went her ego boost.

"Oh, I get it!" Yamask said, clicking his fingers. "It's because you're in control when you Bounce, isn't it?"

Buneary gasped and nodded, shooting Yamask an appreciative smile. "Y-Yeah! When I Bounce, I know how it's gonna go! And if _I'm_ not using Bounce, then it's... scary," she explained.

"Ahh, I get you," Snorlax said. He chuckled. "Well, in any case, I'll bet you sure are glad you're not a bird pokémon, huh?"

Buneary stared at him. An image of her sailing high above the clouds came to mind. Her mind immediately shifted to her falling straight down, coming closer and closer to the ground.

She shivered and tried to shut that line of thinking off _immediately._

Snorlax and Corsola seemed amused by her reacting to her own thoughts. Yamask just gave an awkward chuckle while fiddling with the confuse wand. Buneary was just embarrassed...

"Anyway, gang..." Snorlax began, beckoning towards land as he moved towards it, "let's get ourselves going! We've still got some floors to go down!"

"I just hope all the shenanigans are done with..." Yamask mumbled. He grunted lightly, as if remembering something. "Oh, yeah... I'm really sorry about attacking you guys, earlier."

"That's okay~. You were confused," Corsola reassured.

Buneary nodded with a light frown. "Yeah... no thanks to... me?" she started. She stopped and looked around when she heard something. "Wait... what's that... rumbling noise?"

Everyone gave her a look of either confusion or concern.

"What rumbling?" Yamask asked.

Buneary extended her rolled ear. She realized that the rumbling was coming from above and sounded... explosive. Like a raging fire, or something.

Her head snapped upwards. Everyone followed suit and made noises of surprise. There was blue fire coming from the cave ceiling, high above.

She nervously furrowed her brow. "Why's... there fire coming out of the ceiling?" she asked.

"This dungeon's supposed to be _watery_ , isn't it? What the frick!?" Yamask exclaimed.

"D-Did someone step on a trap!?" Corsola yelped.

The raging fire continued to slowly descend. It looked like it was descending faster and faster, too.

Buneary whimpered in fright. Ohhh, this wasn't good.

"Er... don't worry, guys!" Snorlax said with a nervous chuckle. "Whatever it is, I'll sort it... out..." She noticed his eyes snapping open. "... Uh oh. I think I know what that is. Or... _who_ that is."

The fire very quickly descended all of a sudden, almost as if falling. Just before it hit the water, it stopped in place, and Buneary got a good look at what it was.

What had appeared to be blue flames was actually coming out of the arms and the underside of a _huge_ creature, about double the size of Snorlax. The creature was a giant dark-gray statue-like figure. It was coated in glowing green lights, brown straps and had a brown patch across its black chest.

As it hovered in place, Buneary could almost swear that its skin was shimmering slightly. Was it... a shiny? Did that mean it was a _pokémon!?_

"... Holy... _shit!_ " Yamask proclaimed, looking like he was about to drop his wand.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

**Originally finished:** 06/05/2020

 **Word count:** 9,359

 **VGS2's sexy notes:** Who's that pokémon!? It's Angela Anacondamon! *Yu-Gi-Oh theme plays*

Naw, seriously, get your butts ready for some giant pokémon action! :D ... Except, I'm out of buffer that's been proof-read, so... it might take a little longer to come out than the previous chapters. Not _too_ long, but still!

That said, maybe if you go and read/review ravengal's fic, Birds of a Feather, she might just give me the all clear a bit quicker. Eh...? :P (Disclaimer: Just kidding. ... Maybe.)

 **Mistakes of the day:** **#1:** '"Oh, okay!" Buneary replied, bouncing on the **balls** of her **heels** in excitement.'

(Those are two completely different parts of the feet, so, um... XP)

 **#2:** "'Elevator'? This **hoe,** here?"

(Um… I missed a letter. XD Don't go up and down on a hoe.)

 **#3:** "I-I do, too!" Yamask said eagerly, hovering **net**.

(I knew it! You're James' yamask, aren't you!? Ready to throw a net onto Pikachu to try 'n' nab him.)

 **#4:** "Ready to throw a net onto Pikachu to try 'n' **nap** him."

(How kind of Team Rocket to help with Pikachu's insomnia problems.)

 **#5:** 'She barely grazed the wet ceiling of the cave before **hotting** downwards, towards her **for**.'

(Lewd.)

 **#6:** 'Ooh... now that she was **paying he was** quite attractive from the back, actually. Especially lower down...'

(Paying for Snorlax's special services, I see. Oh dear.)

 **#7:** ' **f** in disgust when she noticed how muddy it was.'

(What an impolite way to pay respects.)

 **#8:** "Th-That's okay! **You're** improve in no time, I just know it!"

(... She said to me when talking about my ability to write... XP)

 **#9:** "What sorts are **they**?"

(Whoops! That's a funny looking 'there'. XP Let me try again...)

 **#10:** "What sorts are **their**?"

(… Shit.)

 **#11:** 'She was about to say something else, but the lileep sprayed something purple and nasty onto her, which sizzled on contact.' *Doesn't say anything else and nobody says anything to her for ages*

(Whoops. She fizzled away, I guess. XP RIP)

 **#12:** 'She couldn't stop staring at **Snowlax** in awe.'

(Look, it's Newregional Snorlax! Normal/Ice type, and looking nothing like the original, I'll bet. Making you wonder why it's not a new mon, instead.)

 **#13:** 'She grit her teeth and tried to **bare** the pain.'

(The day Buneary tried to strip a character from Metal Gear Solid 3.)

 **#14:** "Alright, um… I guess I'm glad I brought _this_ then," he said, pulling out a **pecha** berry.

(How long have you been at this, now, Snorlax? He's not poisoned, you div!)

 **#15:** '"A… A what **not**?" Buneary asked.'

(No, not that.)

 **#16:** 'Buneary pulled a face as something came to **mine**.'

(This is either a joke about explosives, Minecraft, or something lewd involving me, the author.)

 **#17:** "After a **shot** while, she smiled sheepishly."

(How do you shoot the passing of time? And I don't mean Dialga or Celebi.)

 **#18:** 'Daring to crack an eye **pen'**

(Here Buneary is, breaking something that sounds like it worked with Playstation 2. The eye pen for the eye toy. XP)

 **#19:** 'making sure not to slip on the wet, rubbery **surface** \- Corsola **surfaced,'**

(There's a lot going on, on the surface.)

 **#20:** 'Buneary **tuned** around with Corsola'

(Gotta help each other find the correct radio station.)

 **#21:** 'Buneary tilted her head, but took his work'

(Buneary the plagiarist.)

 **#22:** 'She realized that the rumbling was **coming above** and sounded... explosive.'

(Lel, looks like the action was a little bit too hot for whoever that giant was.)

* * *

Well, that's all of me screw ups for today. Thanks for all the favourites, follows and reviews so far, and thanks for reading! Tata for now! c:


	4. The Giant Problem

**VGS2's sexy notes:** Last time, our heroes encountered a big ol' giant that rides on rockets... and now, it's time to see how they fare! Though who knows. Maybe it's friendly…?

… Alright, after an obvious flag like that, I think we _both_ know the answer to that. But still, humor me. XP

* * *

* * *

Buneary and her friends stared at the giant pokémon with bated breath, as it floated above the lake using the fire coming out of its body.

The rabbit gulped. She really hoped this thing was friendly…

"Oh... hi, Golurk," Snorlax nervously said to the pokémon.

The fires from the pokémon, 'Golurk', cut out all of a sudden. Hands and feet extended from its arms and torso as it loudly crashed into the water, sending waves rippling. Buneary struggled to stay standing on top of Corsola, who was bobbing up and down on the water's surface.

"... I have found you, Relic Finder Snorlax," Golurk said in a strangely calm monotone. His voice suggested male.

"Y-Yep!" Snorlax said, his smile looking rather strained. "So, um... how's things on Team Specter?"

Golurk said nothing. He just stared at Snorlax with his glowing, misshapen eyes.

Snorlax gulped. "I, um... hear you guys became a bit infamous, after you, er… left the guild," he continued awkwardly. "Something about... 'finding treasure and doing jobs for clients at any cost' or some-"

"I am stronger than I was before," Golurk interrupted. His fists crackled with electricity. "We will fight now."

"N-Now, now, Golurk," Snorlax said, taking a few steps back and holding his paws up defensively. "Now's not... really the time for-"

"I-I've heard enough!" Yamask yelled. He pointed at the giant with his confuse wand. "I won't... I won't let you hurt Snorlax!"

Buneary expected Golurk to turn his attention to the wisp, but he didn't even seem to acknowledge his presence.

"H-Hey, now, Yamask...!" Corsola started in a whisper. "Let's not rile up the-"

Yamask gave a battle cry and waved his wand. " _Get away!_ "

A jagged yellow beam of light fired from the wand. It struck Golurk in his ribs. He paused for a second. The electricity faded from his fists and he slumped slightly, as if feeling unwell.

Buneary took a shaky breath. Oh, she really didn't want to do this, but… "Corsola, l-let's help!" she cried out, crouching down in preparation and squashing her fear down as best she could.

"Hooo boy... um, okay," Corsola mumbled hesitantly. She charged up an attack.

Buneary focused on it. She formed lots of small bubbles around her fluff, while slightly bigger bubbles formed around Corsola's mouth. They grew in size until Buneary grabbed them from her waist and threw them. At the same time, Corsola fired them in a huge inaccurate cluster.

The bubbles smacked harshly against Golurk in various places, coating him. At the same time, Yamask flew over and flung his arms above his head. A terrifying ghostly face flashed above him with a loud wail.

Golurk didn't even flinch. He lifted both of his arms to the side with fists clenched. Red fire erupted around him, evaporating the bubbles and surprising everyone.

While the fire raged, Golurk struck out at Yamask with an arm, violently knocking him into the water. His wand went flying.

Everyone called out his name in shock. Golurk, instead, reached into the bag strapped around him, which Buneary had only just noticed. He pulled out a handful of what appeared to be persim berries to shove them into his face. Despite having no visible mouth, he ate all of them with gusto.

Corsola swam over to Yamask, allowing Buneary to pull him from the water onto Corsola's body. He seemed pretty dazed. Yeesh... it hadn't even looked like Golurk had put much force into his attack. What kind of monster _was_ he!?

"Hey, what was that for, now!?" Snorlax shouted at him, actually sounding annoyed. "Golurk, leave those guys alone!"

The giant turned his head towards Buneary and the others. His face was expressionless. "... You three are annoying," he said in his usual monotone. "Leave. _Now._ "

Buneary shrunk back, intimidated. She could also feel Corsola inching backwards.

Snorlax sighed and smiled tiredly at the group. "Alright, everyone. I guess there's no real choice, is there? All of you should, er... stay back while I settle this, if that's alright."

Buneary looked at him in concern. "Um... w-will you be alr-?" she started.

"A-At once, Snorlax!" Corsola interrupted. She swam away so fast that Buneary and Yamask nearly plunged into the water.

Regaining her composure, Buneary sighed while gripping tightly onto Yamask. She hoped Snorlax would be alright.

She turned to give him another worried glance. The second she did, Golurk lunged towards him, electrical fist extended.

The bear yelped and grabbed the fist. He gritted his teeth as sparks of electricity flowed through him, but he held firm.

Buneary noticed with concern that the electricity was travelling through the water, rapidly heading towards her. "Oh, legends, it's coming!" she shouted.

"W-What's coming? Golur-?" Corsola started in a panic.

The electricity hit her and made her scream. It travelled up her body and, suddenly, hot pain shot through Buneary. She screamed as her muscles tightened in response. H-How on Earth was Snorlax putting up with this so much!?

Yamask sprang to life with a yell. He took to the air, saving himself from further electrocution. He looked around in a panic, eventually settling on moving over to grab one of Corsola's branches. He strained for a short while until, eventually, the pain stopped flowing through Buneary, and Corsola stopped squealing.

Tiredly looking around, Buneary realized that Corsola was dangling in mid-air, held aloft by Yamask. They were safe.

"Th… Thanks, Yamask…" Buneary mumbled tiredly, looking up at the wisp.

Corsola said nothing, except for dazed groans.

"N-No... problem...!" he replied through gritted teeth. He drifted over to a nearby island jutting out from a cave wall, and placed Corsola onto it. The coral flopped onto her front, unresponsive.

Getting off her, Buneary moved over to check her over from the front. She seemed horribly dazed.

"Oh, nuts…" Yamask said with a heavy breath. "She's fainted, hasn't she?"

"I think so…" Buneary said with a worried frown. "What can we do for her?"

"I… think one of her abilities is Regenerator, and that revives fainted mons, so she'll be alright."

Buneary tilted her head, but took his word for it. Usually when pokémon fainted, they became completely helpless afterwards. Even after waking up, they wouldn't be able to use moves, or travel around too much without a reviver seed… but if what Yamask had said was true, maybe it wouldn't be a problem, here?

In fact, looking at the coral, Buneary _did_ notice that she was glowing lightly on the scorched parts of her body. Even the branch of hers that Buneary had broken off earlier had begun to grow back. Oh, what Buneary would do to swap abilities with that lucky girl _..._

A thunderous crash from the side and the whole ground shaking brought her thoughts to a halt. Looking, she saw Snorlax tumbling through the air, crying out in an inappropriately goofy manner. There was another loud crash as he slammed into the water. His body sent large waves rolling through the cave, rivaling a Surf attack.

Buneary stared at the waves coming toward her with fear bubbling in her chest. It was just one thing after another, wasn't it?

"C-Cripes!" Yamask yelped.

She glanced at him and was immediately tackled to the ground. Water crashed over them, causing light pain from the force. When it subsided, Buneary shivered. Ohhh, that was freezing...

She looked up at Yamask, who was lying on top of her. Because he'd held her down with his body, she hadn't been carried away by the wave.

She smiled out of appreciation. ... That is, until she noticed that he had his head planted in her bosom.

Her face warmed in embarrassment. She was starting to see where all those complaints had come from. Biting her lip, she just gently pushed him off and thanked him for helping.

Turning her attention away, she noticed that Corsola had been washed away. Thankfully, she was safely floating unconscious on the water nearby. Reassured, Buneary looked back at the action.

Snorlax, now on his feet, looked like he was charging something between his paws. "Take _this,_ Golurk! _Hyaaa!_ " he cried, firing a big beam of vibrant orange energy at the golem.

Making no attempt to dodge it, Golurk turned transparent and slowly walked towards the bear, fists crackling with electricity. The beam hit its mark, going into the giant's chest, but somehow went sailing through him. It hit the wall behind him, explosively sending rock fragments flying. He paid them no mind as they pelted his back and continued towards Snorlax, who looked rather shocked.

Buneary frowned in surprise. What the...?

"Oh, yeah..." Yamask mumbled, floating above her. "Golurk's a ghost-type, like me."

Buneary blinked. She stared at the wisp in surprise. "W-Wait... a ghost?" she asked.

"Yeah! We can phase through fighting and normal moves and all that, if we concentrate. Walls are fair game, too. Hence that... going through the ceiling thing."

"… Huh." Her eyes widened further. "... _You're_ a ghost!?"

He flusteredly looked back at her. "H-Huh? Well... yeah? What did you... think I was?"

She became fraught with dismay. "Oh no... w-what... made you become a ghost? Did something happen?"

Yamask gave her an odd look. He shook his hands in dismissal. "Huh? Er... nothing happened!"

He and Buneary flinched as an explosion of electricity went off. She checked and saw Golurk's fist plastered against Snorlax's arms, which were kept in a defensive position.

"Uh..." Yamask continued, "I guess I heard that _some_ ghost pokémon came about unnaturally, but _I_ was born this way. … Naturally."

She stared at him again, only stopping to flinch at a bright light from Snorlax's attack. "... So... you're _not_ dead?" she asked.

He rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Not the last time I checked."

Buneary cringed from embarrassment. "Oh... o-okay." She quickly turned back to the battle. After thinking about it for a bit, she let out a relieved sigh. "... Well, I'm glad about that."

"Er, me too? Um, thanks." He let out a breath. "B-But yeah, we need to do something! Golurk's gonna mess Snorlax up!"

He wasn't entirely wrong. Right now, the giant ghost was slamming his electrified fists into Snorlax, one punch at a time. However, the bear stood firm, blocking each slow but powerful hit with a paw. He was visibly straining, though, so it was clear he wasn't finding this easy.

After another hit, Snorlax grabbed onto Golurk's fist with both paws. They glowed dark as he flung the fist to the side. Golurk's balance was thrown off, giving Snorlax the opening to smash his glowing pink head into Golurk's groin.

The giant went stumbling backwards until he crashed into a wall. It made the whole cave rumble ferociously.

Buneary suddenly found it very difficult to stand on the violently shaking ground. Oh, legends, it was like a really powerful Earthquake attack!

She staggered around, trying her best to keep her footing. She noticed that, by floating in the air, Yamask seemed completely unaffected by the shaking. Corsola's unconscious form was bobbing around on the wildly shifting waves of the water.

Worried, Buneary pointed towards her. "Y-Yamask!" she called out, looking at him. "Please could you go save-?" Something huge crashed in front of the rabbit, scaring her out of her skin. Before the dust could settle, another thing crashed somewhere off to her side, causing a big splash and a surprised shriek from Yamask.

Realizing something, Buneary looked up. She spotted several stalactites jostling around, as if loose. She noted that most were bigger than she was.

She gulped. Okay, that was _bad._ "Watch out, the cave's collapsing!" she shouted to Yamask, who was already looking up.

" _Y-Yow!_ " he yelled out, dodging out of the way as a stalactite came down towards him. He held his mask above his head. "Oh, man, this is really starting to suck!"

"It is!" Saying that, though, she noticed that the shaking _had_ stopped, thankfully. She could dodge without stumbling around at the same time. The smallest of mercies.

She looked over at Snorlax, hoping he was doing alright. Unfortunately, he, too, was being bombarded with stalactites. He was clearly being bothered by them, but he had to ignore them and focus on Golurk, who had taken up an… odd pose.

He had his arms - both hands retracted - held to the floor, and his bottom - both legs retracted - held high in the air. He ignored the rocks smashing into him from above, even though they were heavy enough to make him shake with each hit.

After a quick cautionary glance upwards, Buneary looked at him in bewilderment. What was he up to, now!? He… sort of looked like how she'd envisioned those 'cannon' things, that she'd read about in fantasy stories. The things that shot projectiles. Was this a transformation?

She got her answer when the end of his 'cannon' started glowing a bright white, while swiveling upwards in Snorlax's direction. It fired a blindingly bright ball of light, which slammed into Snorlax and exploded into sparkles. Buneary had to squint at the sight.

She called out the bear's name in shock. However, he'd only been sent back a few steps, looking pained but no worse for wear. Golurk didn't wait for him to recover and fired another shot of light.

Frowning, Snorlax reached above himself with glowing paws, and grabbed a falling stalactite before it hit him. The rock gained a dark aura as he forcefully threw it at Golurk.

It ploughed through the bright projectile, which burst into sparkles. The rock continued onwards, smashing into Golurk and making him topple to the ground with a big splash.

Buneary nearly cheered in joy. Finally, Snorlax was starting to turn things around!

" _H-Hey, watch o-!_ " Yamask started yelling.

Something heavy and pointy slammed into the top of her head, knocking her to the floor. She lay collapsed in the rubble, dazed. Oww...

"Oh, lord, no, Buneary!" she heard Yamask yell out.

"I'll be... okay..." she said with a slight slur. Through her blurry vision, she saw Yamask looming over her, worry on his face. She also saw something pink in the water behind him. Corsola, she guessed.

She lightly shook her head. It cleared her vision slightly, but her head was aching, now. "We... We should go and help Corsola..." she mumbled.

"Oh, um... r-right, yeah!" Yamask replied. He frowned in concern. "But... will you be-?"

She stopped listening when she saw another stalactite fall in the corner of her eye. It crashed into Corsola's unconscious body.

Buneary gasped as pure terror filled every vein in her body. " _Corsola, no!_ " she screamed. She hopped over to the edge of the lake, nearly slipping on moss in her panic.

"Wait, Buneary! She fainted, so she'll be alright!" Yamask called out.

Wait... alright? How could she possibly be alright!? Pokémon were tough enough to withstand almost anything, sure... but while fainted, they were helplessly weakened! Wouldn't something like this _kill_ Corsola!?

She slipped to a stop when she saw a beam of red light come out from the water. It shot off in a random direction, out of the water-filled room entirely. Corsola was nowhere to be seen from within the rubble.

Buneary blinked. "Where'd... she go?" she muttered, her brain still trying to process what the heck had happened.

Yamask let out a long sigh, though out of exasperation or otherwise, she didn't know. "No one knows why, Buneary, but dungeons can't kill anyone, I don't think. If a dungeon does something that'll kill someone, they just get teleported somewhere else on the floor, instead."

Relief washed over the rabbit, but she was still a bit confused. "Does... something?"

"Yeah! Like... lava stuff, or big staleg... er, mites, I guess." He scratched his head before cringing awkwardly. "... Wait, no... wrong one. Whoops."

Despite herself, she giggled. "Yeah, those, are... on the floor, I think."

He chuckled sheepishly. "Something like that. Um, b-but yeah! There's nothing to worry about!" He looked off to the side, where Corsola had gone. "Uh... and thinking about it, same goes for pokémon attacks in dungeons. I think it'll just do the same kinda teleporting thing."

"Good to know, thanks." Now that she thought about it… the same thing would happen back where she'd come from, on Wellware Island. It wasn't something she'd ever seen properly, because her brother was too good of a leader, but… still.

Calming down, she looked off into the same direction. Well, Corsola was safe, at least... but Buneary hoped the coral was in a safe spot. If nothing else, it seemed like the stalactites had stopped falling, looking around.

Snorlax seemed to be doing okay, too. On his blue flames, Golurk was shoving against Snorlax while flying. The bear was being pushed back, but he wasn't doing too bad.

"Buneary... I wanna go and help Snorlax!" Yamask said, frowning in determination. "He said to leave him to it, but who knows what'll happen!?"

"Okay... I'll go help Corsola," Buneary replied.

"On your own!?" Yamask said with a gasp.

"I'll... I'll manage!" Buneary said, balling a paw. "She needs help, so..."

Yamask gave her an unsure look, but eventually shrugged. "Well... okay. I'll come and help out, after-"

Snorlax suddenly flung Golurk to the side. He rapidly sailed towards Buneary and Yamask, flying overhead on blue flames.

Buneary cried out in surprise and hopped backwards. She heard a click.

With a breath paused in her throat, she looked down. She briefly saw a fan under her feet before it started spinning rapidly, blowing extremely harsh wind at her. She squealed in fright as she was blown into the air and sent flailing around in a spiral, like she was in a tornado.

She couldn't decide up from down before she was harshly flung away. She screamed as colors and shapes whizzed past her vision. _Aghhh, she was going to die!_

Pure adrenaline pumped through her veins and she went into a full on panic. She activated Dizzy Punch and Bounce to swing at the air with her ears and feet, desperate to stop herself.

She sensed something huge and black flying near her. Frightened, she lashed at it with her foot. It grunted and fell, causing a humongous crash below.

Knocked off course, she was sent tumbling down.

* * *

Buneary continued to fall through the air uncontrollably. After a while, she smacked into something soft and squishy, which shouted out in pain. She bounced off and painfully hit the ground.

She panted heavily. She was still filled with adrenalin, but she didn't have the energy to flail about. Her entire body was covered in aches and pains. Ouch...

She slowly started to pick herself up. She felt something slimy wrap around her leg as she got up.

She gasped. She wasn't able to do anything else before her feet were yanked out from underneath, sending her crashing onto her front. Wet, red tentacles wrapped around her body and kept her limbs held down, pinning her to the floor.

Breathing heavily, she angled her head back to look at her attacker. It was an octillery with a blue, twisted headband twirled around its head, and it looked _insanely_ ticked off.

" _Hey, what's the deal, you wild, dumb broad!? Attackin' me from behind!_ " he shouted, in a high, yet gravelly male voice.

"W-What? I-I didn't attack you!" she shrieked in terror.

That apparently only made him angrier. "You lyin' to me, now!? _Ya wanna **die!?** I'll beat you **senseless!**_ "

"N-No, please, it was an accident! _Oh, legends!_ " she squealed, struggling for her life.

"Yeah, I'll bet it was an accident, you friggin'...!" He blinked. "Wait, the Hell d'you mean, accident?"

She stopped struggling at the question. "Th-There was this... blowing trap thing! A-And it blew me all the way over here!"

He frowned in what looked like confusion. "... A... gust trap? You mean it?"

A hopeful smile wormed its way onto her face. "Y-Yeah, that's right! I'm sorry I hit you, but I'm not wild, I promise!"

"... Oh." The octillery paused thoughtfully. He scowled again. "Then why weren't ya bein' careful, then!? Runnin' about without a care in the friggin' world, with traps all around!?"

Her smile vanished in an instant. " _Ahhh, I-I dunno!_ " she screamed.

The octillery let go of her. "Watch where you're goin' next time, or I'll kill ya, myself!"

She scrambled to sit on her backside and scoot away from him. Too injured to run, she just shivered in fear. "O-O-Oh, legends, I'm s-sorry...!"

The octillery murmured something to himself and clicked his tongue. "W-Wait, no... er... I mean... that's okay. Don't... friggin' worry about it."

"H-H-How can I not worry!? _You wanna kill me!_ " she squealed.

"Hey, shut up, I was-!" He paused, cleared his throat and sighed. "I mean... I'm _sorry,_ but I was talkin' figuative- Figrotove... Fig-" He growled to himself and aggressively shook his head. " _I didn't mean it, alright!? I ain't killin' no one!_ "

She shivered even harder. Ohhh, dear, this octopus guy was scary...!

He let out an annoyed grunt and frantically waved his tentacles. "Wait, stop freakin' out! Jeez, I..." He took in a deep breath and pulled a face that looked like he was trying to smile, despite his tube-shaped mouth. "Look. Friendly! I'm _frieeeeendly_ , right?" His eye twitched.

She stopped shivering and frowned in confusion. "F... Friendly?"

He nodded. "Yeah, yeah! Friendliest legends-damned octopus you ever did see-" He looked off to the side with widened eyes. " _Whoa!_ " He leapt to her side, surprising her. Before she could ask, something shattered against him, making him grunt in pain.

Peeking over his shoulder, she saw a flat bug pokémon with eyes on stalks and loads of feathers on its sides. It had a large rock attached to its mouth, which kept firing off small fragments at Octillery.

Buneary stared at the octopus in confusion. What was he doing? Was he... defending her?

A few more shots were fired off, all of which painfully pelted Octillery. After the final rock fragment had disappeared from the hostile bug's mouth, it seemed to smirk through its creepy bug teeth. "Yeah, that'll teach you, explorer!" she shouted triumphantly, sounding female. "These caves belong to the wil-"

" _What the legends-damned Hell was **that** for!?_" Octillery flared up, scowling iron thorns at the bug. " _We were enjoying a **pleasant conversation,** you bastard buggy **bitch!** I'll kill ya **dead**!_"

The bug screamed in fright and crawled away at an amazing speed.

Octillery blasted a harsh jet of steaming water in the bug's general direction. "That's right, _get outta here!_ " he shouted after her. He let out a loud, annoyed sigh before turning back to Buneary. He strained another smile at her. "Um... yeah... I'm _very_ friendly. All... _usually_ , like..."

She stared at him. Afterwards, despite herself, she giggled lightly. "Y-Yeah... you're nice, Octillery," she said.

He looked like he was about to get annoyed, but he paused with a blank stare. "... Nice? What?"

"Um, thanks for blocking those shots. You, um... get angry a bit too easily, but you're a good guy."

His stare continued. Eventually, he frowned, crossed his tentacles and looked away with a blush. "Jeez, don't... even think about it, whatever!" he grumbled, sounding rather embarrassed.

She smiled at him. She noticed something silver-colored with a green middle gleaming on his chest. Realizing what it was, her eyes lit up. "An... explorer's badge?" She pointed at it excitedly. "Oh, you're an explorer, aren't you?"

"Eh? What of it?" Octillery asked, looking back at her.

"I'm trying to be a member of Miss Donphan's guild!"

His eyes widened slightly. "Huh, 'kay. Cool." He shrugged. "Well, you're not an ass, so I ain't complaining."

"Um... thanks!" she replied, deciding to take that as a compliment. Quite a big one, too, considering how grumpy this man was.

The entire cave rumbled suddenly, startling them both.

"Oh, freakin'-" Octillery started before huffing loudly and looking around in irritation. "What's been goin' on with all these stupid earthquakes!? Is that stupid meteor thing from the stories happenin' again, or what?"

Buneary gasped sharply. "Oh, I forgot! Me, Mr. Snorlax, Corsola and Yamask were fighting a _massive_ pokémon!" she said, pointing in the general direction she figured she'd come from. She was surprised at how far that trap had flung her, because she couldn't even see the room she'd been in, earlier. Just a water-filled corridor that led into darkness.

Octillery looked at her in surprise. "Huh? A battle?" His eyes suddenly widened. "Wait, so... you implyin' it's making the whole bluff shake!?"

"Y-Yeah! Mr. Snorlax is doing most of the fighting, and we... tried to help." Her ear drooped. "But we didn't accomplish much. We were getting beaten up just by _watching_."

"Aww, _shit!_ " With his tentacles, he quickly started dragging himself over to where Buneary had pointed. He paused and faced her. "Wait. You look injured." He pulled a small oran berry out of his bag and rolled it at Buneary. It moved towards her, bouncing on rocks and bumps in the moist, rugged floor before stopping in front of her.

"Eat it and stay outta trouble, or I'll get mad!" He turned again and crawled away before she could even thank him. He disappeared into a nearby lake.

Buneary stared after him, surprised. She let out a small shaky breath and picked up the oran berry. Wiping it dry, she shoved it into her mouth and started chewing as quickly as she could. Normally, she liked to savor food, but this was an emergency! She didn't want to let everyone get beaten too badly by this guy!

As the plentiful flavors spread across her mouth, so too did a pleasant sensation. It spread across her body from her mouth, healing her injuries enough for her to feel okay again.

Letting out a refreshed sigh, she jumped to her feet and hopped towards a further part of the cave. She hoped her new friends would be okay until she could make her way around to reach them…

As she moved, she accidentally kicked something small, sending it careening into a puddle. She glanced at it as she hopped past and stopped in her tracks when she noticed how much it sparkled.

She picked it up and gasped in delight. Ooh, it was so pretty! It was some kind of ruby, gleaming with a deep, red color.

It was so pretty that Buneary couldn't help herself. She gleefully shoved it into the top of her fluff, which was still thick and puffy. After making sure the ruby was stable, she nodded happily and took off hopping again.

* * *

After a minute or two of hopping through the wet caves, Buneary came across a large clearing. She quickly glanced around to take note of her surroundings.

She saw a few berries dotted about. They were a bit large, so she decided not to take any. She saw a blast seed near to where she was standing, identifiable because of its red, fiery motif.

It was pretty small, so she decided to carry it along. As she moved to pick it up, she saw someone wander into the room. Looking, her eyes brightened. "Oh, Corsola! There you are!" she chimed.

Corsola gave her an odd look.

Buneary faltered. "Oh, is… something wrong?" she asked. "You're not still hurt, are you?"

"Oh, er… no, no…" Corsola replied.

Buneary tilted her head. "Is your voice okay? It seems a little… raspier."

"Yeah, I, um… it's good? All… All good!"

Buneary blinked. She gave a light shake of the head and smiled. "Well, that's good~" She pointed in the general direction that Snorlax was fighting in. "Um, I think Mr. Snorlax is still in danger, so should we go save him?"

Corsola's eyes widened in shock. "Um… if you mean that… _our_ friend, who's… making ruckus, then sure!"

Buneary tilted her head again. "Um… yeah!" Huh, who else would she have meant? Ohh, she really hoped there wasn't another snorlax in this dungeon. If it was a normal-sized snorlax, then all he would have to do is tread on her, and she'd be toast.

She picked up the blast seed and then walked into the corridor Corsola had come in from. The coral followed for a short while before taking the lead.

* * *

Buneary and Corsola came across a fork in the road after a minute of hopping and running. The rabbit was about to go down one pathway, but Corsola quickly started down the other.

"Um… doesn't it make a… little more sense to go down _this_ one?" Buneary asked, pointing towards her preferred path. "It's more in Mr. Snorlax's direction, isn't it?"

Corsola stopped in place. "Oh, uh… maybe, maybe, but… there are items in this direction that'll help!" she explained. "Things like… sleep seeds, and elixirs, and… and a slow wand!"

Buneary's eyes lit up. "Ah, that's pretty useful! Nice find!"

"Thanks! Let's go get them!"

Buneary nodded and followed Corsola, who eagerly ran along on her four legs.

* * *

Buneary and Corsola came across a rather large clearing. There were puddles and small ponds dotted about, as well as, more importantly, quite a lot of useful-looking items.

"Wow, you weren't kidding, Corsola!" Buneary chimed. She hopped towards a blue berry and picked it up. The surface of its skin was a bit bumpy and the stem was rather pale, but it was definitely an oran berry!

She turned towards Corsola. "Okay, let's pick up some stuff, and go help Mr. Snorlax! Oh, and Yamask, too!" Buneary said.

"Ahhh, um… actually, there's a problem with that," Corsola said.

Buneary looked at her in concern. "What's the matter?"

"Well… uh, it's sort of awkward now, but screw it." Corsola brought her stubby hand up to her mouth and whistled loudly.

The room erupted into activity. A shiver ran up Buneary's spine as she looked around. Dozens of different pokémon were now in the room, either emerging from shells, emerging from puddles and ponds, or dropping down from the ceilings and walls.

"Great job, Quick Think Corsola!" a brown, bipedal bug-like thing with scythes praised from the middle of the room. Buneary tried to ignore its manly chest.

Two long strands of seaweed with faces - both attached to a rock off to the side - nodded together. "That's the third chump we done caughted out here!" they said in unison, sounding young and boyish.

Corsola ran to the middle of the room. "Thanks~! I should've taken up acting!" she sang.

Buneary's lip quivered. "But… b-but, Corsola… why…?" she whimpered.

"Dummy!" a rocky fish said from a pond, sounding feminine. "She's not your friend! She's _our_ friend! A member of the Water Rock Gang!"

"Yeah. I sort of tricked you. Sorry," their corsola said, only looking a little bit sorry.

"… Oh…" Buneary mumbled. Well… that was a little less upsetting, she guessed.

"C'mon, c'mon!" a tirtouga yelled. "Let's beat her up and take her stuff!"

The pokémon all advanced on her at once. Buneary gasped and turned to run. She stopped when she saw that the exit was blocked by some blue creature with tentacles, a seashell and sharp teeth. His tentacles extended enough to make an easy exit impossible.

Shivering, she took on a defensive pose and looked back at the larger crowd. Ohhh, this was awful! What would she do!? She'd had to fight against monster houses in the past, of course, but never on her own! She could tell that these guys were a tough bunch, too!

A jet of water was fired at her from the rock fish. She yelped and stepped to the side. It harshly grazed her, knocking her off balance. While she staggered backwards, the brown bug rushed forwards and sliced at her with his scythe. It hit Buneary in the side and sent her careening into a wall.

She cried out in pain and fell against the ground, gripping her stinging side. Doing that, she felt a bag against her hip and was reminded of the money inside she'd been carrying. Was _that_ what had tempted their corsola to bring her here? Because of such a tiny amount of pokécoins?

She looked up at all the advancing pokémon and frowned worriedly. Oh dear… maybe she should just give up, and let them have her stuff. There was no way she could win against _these_ numbers.

… No, what was she thinking!? She would never improve doing _that!_ She hopped to her feet and took up a fighting pose. She was slightly wobbly on her feet, but she was okay.

The bipedal bug leapt for her again. She ducked under his scythe and punched him in the chest with her glowing ear. He stumbled, so she jumped and punched him in the chin.

He was sent sailing into his friends. He staggered around, looking dizzy.

"How… dare ya…!?" he yelled in a slur. He swung around in a drunken frenzy, without any regard for his friends.

"H-Hey!" one of his friends, a sharp-toothed turtle, yelled in a very gruff voice. "Watch where you're- _Gck!_ " He was slashed in the face by the bug, knocking him to the floor.

"H-Hold him down! He got confused!" their corsola yelled.

Buneary let out a breath. This was her chance! She hopped towards the group and shoved her blast seed in her mouth. She felt its explosive power build up in her mouth, so she opened up and let out a huge blast of energy.

The explosion knocked most of the enemies about, screaming. The ones who hadn't been hit were sent running around in a panic, probably wondering what was going on.

Despite the slight stinging in her mouth, Buneary let a small smile escape as her confidence soared. Her eyes widened when she suddenly remembered her oran berry. Oh yeah… she was still aching, so now would be a good time to eat that. Afterwards, it might get a little easier to plan things out.

She frisked herself for it. Her heart sank. Wait, where was it!? She looked around frantically and frowned when she saw a tirtouga nibbling on it. " _H-Hey!_ " she cried out.

The rather masculine-looking tirtouga noticed her annoyance and smirked evilly. His eyes widened and he spluttered it out, smirk completely gone. Groaning, he gripped his belly, like he had a really bad stomachache.

Buneary blinked. Good legends, she was glad she hadn't eaten that, now.

She suddenly heard someone breathing behind her. She spun around to face them and was slashed in the belly with some sharp water.

She fell over backwards and landed on her back. Yowch… She gripped her stinging belly and looked up at her attacker. It was those two seaweed twins. Despite being embedded in the same rock, they'd managed to crawl over and slash at her.

She was suddenly glad to have such good hearing. If she hadn't turned around, it would have been a critical hit, for sure. But they didn't look like they were finished. A blade of water was jutting out of each of their heads.

She cowered and activated Endure. She shrieked when their blades slashed into her, but the pale yellow glow surrounding her stopped her from fainting.

" _Yeahhh,_ we gots ya _good!_ " one of the seaweeds proclaimed.

"Say nighty night, chump!" the other one said.

Panting heavily, Buneary saw splotches of darkness in her vision. She wasn't going to last much longer. Even stumbling wrong would make her faint.

A heavy dose of adrenaline coursed through her veins, telling her instincts to make her panic.

Resisting the urge, she clenched a paw. It was the perfect time to use her _secret weapon._

She got to her feet and began to conjure all the power she could. The seaweed twins squealed in pain and flopped into her. She barely had enough energy to push their heads to the side to let them drop to the ground.

Confused, she let her move fade. Huh? She hadn't done anything yet, so why…?

She noticed that there were many small shards of ice in the backs of the seaweed twins. Looking up, she gasped in surprised delight. "Corsola!" she cheered.

Corsola turned away from fighting the blue tentacled thing guarding the entrance to wave at her. The coral was smacked in the side by a tentacle as a result, so Buneary felt bad for distracting her. Whoops…

"Oh, great, her friend's here, now!" the other corsola, Quick Think Corsola, yelled. Buneary looked over and saw her trying to help her friends hold down the big, brown bug, who was still swinging his scythes in a confused stupor.

"Don't worry, I've got this one!" the rock fish from before exclaimed. She leapt high into the air from her pond and fired off a volley of Water Gun shots at Buneary, while sailing above.

Startled, Buneary leapt high into the air with Bounce. The blasts of water barely missed her.

When she approached the fish above her, she did a backflip to kick her in the chin. The fish flew backwards with a cry of pain.

Buneary tried to correct herself for a good landing. In her weakened state, she failed, tumbling downwards while screaming.

She mercifully crashed into a pond instead of the ground. After regaining her bearings, she swam to the edge and crawled out of it, spluttering. She shivered. Ughh, still so cold…! If only her little brother was here to warm her with a cuddle.

… No, what was she thinking? She loved her brother, sure, but she was never going to get out of his shadow like this!

Now standing, she looked around. Corsola was rapidly firing lots of large ice shards in the blue shellfish thing's direction. She was missing constantly, but the barrage seemed enough to keep her enemy at bay.

The rest of the monster house seemed to be getting back under control. The brown bug was unconscious on the ground, no longer rampaging in confusion. Buneary frowned. They hadn't knocked him out _themselves_ , had they? Mean!

She took a fearful step back when she saw all eyes on her, every one of them hostile. Uh oh.

She took another step backwards and hit her heel against something. Glancing at it, she saw an orb. A gray one adorned with lots of square patterns floating around inside the glass, all with different pictures.

She blinked. That hadn't been there before…

She looked up at Corsola. The coral was taking a small break from fighting to glance between the orb and Buneary.

The rabbit smiled in appreciation as she realized what had happened. Ah, had Corsola rolled the orb over to help out? Buneary didn't know why she had that awkward, sheepish look on her face, but it was clear she had remembered her promise from earlier!

Buneary grabbed the orb with both paws. She took a deep breath and held it above her head. She could feel it start to slip, so she gripped it extra tightly and called out, "Please work well…!"

The orb began to glow.

"Watch out, a wonder orb!" a tirtouga yelled, retreating into her shell. All of her friends cowered in response.

The orb produced a bright magical light that shone on the floor in front of Buneary. It shattered harmlessly afterwards.

She blinked. She looked around. She felt as weak as she'd been before… none of the enemy pokémon seemed unwell or anything… so... what had happened? Why hadn't the orb done anything?

She suddenly felt very nervous. She'd messed everything up, hadn't she? Ohh, she'd even begged the orb nicely, and everything!

All of the pokémon stopped cowering after it became clear that they were safe. They all sighed in relief, or even began laughing mockingly.

"Everyone, hey, let's all _knock her out_ together and get ourselves some stuff!" a sharp-toothed turtle yelled.

"Yeahhh, she's _toast!_ " the tirtouga proclaimed.

"Let's get 'er!" a brown rock with glowing red eyes yelled.

"Sorry, but you're _finished,_ now, girl!" Quick Think Corsola chimed.

All of the others around them cheered and rushed towards Buneary, preparing various moves.

Their overwhelming confidence was too much. Her nerves finally cracked.

Shaking in fear, she squealed and cowered into a ball. Not thinking straight, she poured energy into Endure. She barely acknowledged a halo begin to form above her, bathing her in a pale yellow light.

She felt rocks, blasts of water and many other elements hit her, one after the other. It was immensely painful, but each faded as soon as she received it, because of Endure.

She clenched her eyes shut, shuddering even harder from terror. She was at a complete loss for what to do, and her Endure wouldn't last forev-

The entire place exploded all of a sudden. Everyone's screams were the only thing she could hear over the deafening racket. It burnt her entire body, but the pain left as soon as it had come.

Afterwards… silence.

As her Endure faded, she dared to crack open an eye. She was inside a burnt crater. Torched up, unconscious pokémon were scattered throughout the room, and any bodies of water nearby were now completely dried up.

Buneary looked around, too bewildered to panic. What in Dialga's holy name had happened?

"Holy moly, are you okay, Buneary!?" Corsola cried out, running up to her. She looked unharmed, so she must have been far away enough to avoid getting hit.

"… Um… I… Maybe?" Buneary replied. She spotted a panel on the ground. It had a picture of a smirking electrode on it.

Corsola yelped in surprise, also having seen it. "Oh, i-is that a trap?" she asked, pointing at it.

"Yeah… um… an explosion one, I'm guessing."

"Oh, dear. And I here I was, thinking Yamask was just exaggerating, or something. There really _are_ ones that blow up…"

"Not really a fan…" Buneary replied. It was hard to come up with responses because she was so woozy.

"Hey, so that's what the orb did, eh? Puttin' down traps!?" a masculine voice from the direction of the room's exit shouted. Looking, she saw the blue thing with tentacles, who looked annoyed.

Huh… thinking about it, he might be right. The orb had shone a light onto the ground… but traps were often invisible until activated, so she hadn't seen anything.

"Whew…" Corsola said happily, "good job I dropped that orb while I was fighting this omastar, huh? Couldn't have rolled in a better direction~"

"… So… you didn't throw that over for me to use?" Buneary asked, holding back a sad frown.

Corsola tilted her head. "Huh? Well, I guess not? I…" She blinked. She gasped and frantically shook her head with a very awkward grimace on her face. "N-No! I mean, yes! I… I-I was going to give you the orb _after_ the battle! But you got it _early!_ " She gulped and chuckled sheepishly.

"Um… oh…" Buneary replied, not really believing her but deciding to let it slide.

"You're a lying liar, and I'm _ticked!_ How _dare_ ya screw up my gang!?" the 'omastar' yelled, flailing his blue tentacles angrily. He ran towards the girls on his stubby legs at a surprising speed, considering the heavily chipped shell on his back. "I'll take you both out on my _own! Watch me!_ "

Buneary and Corsola yelped. The coral took on an offensive pose, but Buneary didn't. Her injuries and her fatigue made her nerves kick in, telling her to flee. "S-Sorry, I-I-I'll just run and watch!" she yelled, hopping away.

She only made it a few hops before a blue tentacle wrapped around her waist, stopping her in place.

"Not so fast, girly!" the omastar yelled, gripping onto her with elongated tentacles. "You've still gotta pay for hurting my friends with some _roughing up!_ "

She felt the tentacle constrict. Panicking even further, she poured all of her power into her Dizzy Punch and punched with both ears. A bird-shaped shockwave flew out from her punch and crashed into the omastar, knocking him back several steps.

"W-What the!?" he yelled. He began to stumble around dizzily. "… Ohhh, crud…"

Corsola charged forwards and rammed into him. His shell completely shattered, and he was sent sailing into the wall.

Buneary managed to escape from the tentacle that was around her and breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a lot more calm. The feeling didn't last too long, however, as the omastar got up again and ran towards her and Corsola. Without his shell, he was way faster than before.

Calm enough to think straight again, Buneary prepared another Bounce. A huge wave of fatigue hit her all at once, making her fall onto her rear. She cut off her attack and immediately felt relieved. Ugh... nope. Because of all the power she'd been pouring into all of her moves, she didn't have nearly enough stamina to use that... Darn, why did Bounce have to be such a draining move, on top of everything!?

As she got up, she faltered at the approaching pokémon. The urge to run rapidly crept in again, but she shook her head and stood her ground. No… she couldn't! She had to help! She _would_ help!

Corsola coated her body in large icicles and stayed put. The omastar leapt over her and fired a rock straight downwards from his mouth. It slammed into the top of Corsola, shattering all of her ice and making her shriek in pain.

The omastar turned to face her and landed, though he stumbled backwards from dizziness.

Buneary saw her chance. She rushed forwards to punch him in the back. She stumbled on her aching leg and crashed into his blue, tentacle-coated back.

She pulled a face. Eww, it was pretty gross. She yelped as the tentacles began to wrap around her arms and her back. Surprised, she tried to pull away, but they held her in place.

She struggled to try and break free. She stopped when something occurred to her. Instead, she kicked the omastar in the back of his legs. He staggered. "Corsola, hit him!" she called out.

"O-Oh, right! Hitting!" Corsola yelled, sounding like she was on the move.

The omastar stiffened and shouted, "N-No, don't you- _Ugh!_ " Buneary felt a heavy collision against the pokémon's front, sending him stumbling backwards. He flopped onto his belly with a groan.

"Wow~! Quick thinking, Buneary!" Corsola said, clapping joyfully. "A little bit dirty, but if it gets the job done, I won't complain! Wow, and that powered Dizzy Punch, too! Fabulous~"

The tentacles loosened, allowing Buneary to hop off the pokémon. "Th-Thanks…" she replied, smiling bashfully. She let out an utterly relieved sigh and sat down. She was so worn out that she didn't even mind that the floor made her bum a bit wet. " _Hooo_ , I can't believe that all worked out…"

Corsola moved over and sat down in front of her. "You're telling _me!_ How'd you get caught up in such a nasty monster house?"

"Oh, um…" Buneary began to feel a little embarrassed. "I… followed a corsola I thought was you…"

Corsola looked at her in surprise. "Uh… really? Why'd you think it was me? Did she look like me?"

"I… I-I think so? She went along with it when I asked if she was you, so…"

"Huh…" Corsola got up and moved through the room, checking the piles of toasted, unconscious pokémon. Eventually, she came across her lookalike and pulled a face. "… You… really thought this gal looked like me? Really?"

Buneary shivered from her soggy, cold fur. "What's… wrong with that?"

Corsola dragged the other corsola's unconscious body closer to the rabbit. "Uh… she's a… little bit different, I'd like to think."

Buneary checked over the imposter corsola. Now that she was getting a good look at the coral, she noticed a few big differences. Aside from being coated in soot from the explosion, she was slightly chubbier, her eyes were a little further apart with smaller eyelashes, and - though Buneary didn't really want to say it out loud - this girl's chest seemed slightly bigger than Corsola's, too…

Oh, and she also didn't have the lump on her body, where Buneary had accidentally broken off one of _her_ Corsola's horns… which seemed to be growing back on her, thankfully, but still.

"Um… there's a… few differences," Buneary admitted, her small embarrassment turning into rather _big_ embarrassment.

Corsola giggled. "Only a few, huh?" she asked.

"… Okay, a _lot._ "

Corsola gigged again and shook her head. "Well… I guess pokémon of the same species do look real alike, huh? Well, unless they lob off all their fluff, like _you_ did."

"Eheh, I guess so… I had two friends from a village near _my_ home. They weren't related, but when Pichu evolved, I couldn't tell him _or_ Pikachu apart at _all!_ "

"Hah, oh dear, what a pickle. Well, thankfully, there aren't _too_ many repeat pokémon to remember in these parts, so you'll be alright!" She paused. She tapped her chin. "Well… maybe except for sneasels…"

"Sneasels?"

"Yeah, there's a strange amount around Venture Village and other towns, nearby. There's the shopkeepers back in the village… there's the guy who lives in Shaymin Village… the leader of those Team AWD villains. Well, if we're counting weaviles, anyway."

She tapped her chin again in thought before continuing. "And who else…? Oh, 'course! Even the leader of Team Valiant, who's back at the guild. _He's_ a sneasel!" She grinned dreamily. "A rather handsome one at that. Haha~"

Save for an amused huff at the last comment, Buneary frowned, intimidated. "Oh, good Dialga… I think I even knew one back in Wildfire Village. Tricky Sneasel."

"Wow… I guess sneasels sure get around a lot, huh?"

Buneary grinned in amusement. "What do you mean by that?"

Corsola grinned back. "Oh, just that they've got to be common _somehow~_ "

"Teehee, thought so. Cheeky!"

Corsola stuck her tongue out playfully.

Buneary shook her head from amusement. She frowned again as something occurred to her. "Y'know, the cave hasn't shaken for a while. Does that mean Mr. Snorlax and Golurk are done with their fight? It _has_ been over ten minutes since we were with them, after all. If I had to guess, anyway..."

Corsola's face screwed up in thought. "Hmm… dunno. We should heal ourselves and go check, though, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah, I think so."

With that in mind, the girls moved around the room, picking up items and stepping over unconscious pokémon as they did. They were very careful not to step on the explosion trap as they moved around.

* * *

After a few minutes of searching, Buneary and Corsola bundled everything useful they had found into the center of the room. They'd found a load of pokécoins, some of which Buneary had shoved into her satchel. They'd found a bunch of oran berries and leppa berries, which they had eaten together to heal their bodies and restore their stamina. Buneary had found her special red gem on the seaweed twins, which had apparently been taken by them at some point. The girls had also found a few other cool things, but with no good bags, they decided to just leave them be.

Honestly, Buneary felt a little guilty for taking what was obviously theirs, but Corsola reassured her that in dungeons, taking things from hostile pokémon was considered fair game. Especially outlaws. Still…

Buneary was about to eat the last of the oran berries, but Corsola stopped her. "Ah, Buneary, no, no! Not that one!" she said, holding out a hand.

Startled, the rabbit dropped it. "Ah! S-Sorry!" she yelped.

Corsola smiled sheepishly. "N-No, it's okay! It's just… you almost ate that oren berry!"

"Um… you mean… 'oran'?"

"Nope. Or _en_. It's a lookalike thingymabob that doesn't heal you. It just burns in your belly and gives you a chronic bellyache."

Buneary pulled a face. "Yeesh! I'm… glad I didn't eat one earlier, then. Someone else got to it before me, and I saw what it did."

"Really? Wow, you're a lucky lass, Buneary! First time I found a lookalike, I ate it, expecting super vision. Next thing I know, I couldn't see to save my life!"

"Eep! That's really, _really_ not good…"

"No debating _that!_ "

Buneary let a worried sigh escape. She knew for certain she was going to mess up one of these days and eat something just as bad or _worse_ during a vital mission. She just hoped it wouldn't ruin her day _too_ much…

* * *

Now mostly healed, Buneary and Corsola were quickly moving through the cave's corridors. If they were lucky, they would be able to group up with Snorlax and Yamask, soon.

"That corsola really took you 'round the houses, huh?" Corsola said, looking around. "It's a good job I'm utterly useless with directions, or I'd've never found ya!"

"Y-Yeah…" Buneary mumbled sheepishly. She hopped over a small puddle. "I sort of wish I hadn't gone with her, now… but I guess she _was_ called Quick Think Corsola for a reason."

"No kidding- _Ah!_ " Corsola clapped her hands together excitedly. "I got it! Do you have a title, or something? If we learn each other's titles, we can nip things in the bud by asking each other for 'em."

Buneary's eyes widened. "Ooh, great idea!" She faltered. "Uh… I mean, I _guess_ I have one…"

Corsola beamed. "Great! Well, I've been called 'Cheerleader Corsola' by my friends, before." She waved her hands like pom-poms as she walked. "No guesses as to why~"

Buneary smiled. "It suits you!"

"Thanks!" Corsola stopped waving her hands. "Your turn! What's _your_ title?"

Buneary's smile faded. "Um… well… everyone in the squad I came from shared the same name as the squad. The Blazing Squad."

"So… you were called _Blazing Buneary?_ That's one cool name, for sure~"

"Eheh, well, everyone had it, so I wasn't _too_ special…" She bit her lip. "Um… I overheard Eevee and Charmander talking one day, though… and they thought I should have a… more 'appropriate' title…"

"Oh, oh?" Corsola asked, sounding very interested.

"Um… 'Wallflower Buneary'…" the rabbit mumbled. She looked off to the side to stare at the large river running along the side of the corridor. "I… don't think anybody else ever called me that, but… I'll never forget."

She expected the air to grow awkward, but Corsola squealed in delight. "Oh, if _that's_ not a cute name, I don't know _what_ is~! They must've thought you were really beautiful, or something~"

Buneary stared at her in confusion. "Er… that's not…"

"Well, whenever I come across a buneary with short fluff, I'll be sure to ask 'are you Wallflower Buneary?' And if the answer's no, I won't fall for their schemes!"

Buneary blinked. Shortly after, she couldn't help but smirk amusedly at Corsola's complete lack of knowing what a wallflower was. "Um… uh… I-I guess so," the rabbit replied.

"Yeah! We'll…" Corsola blinked. She smiled sheepishly. "Okay, um, scratch that. You should... probably ask them what their name _is,_ or they'll just lie and say 'yes, that's me!', won't they?"

"I… think you're right, yeah…" To be honest, Buneary hadn't considered that. Ugh, it was no wonder she had been fooled so easily.

Corsola glanced around while pondering something. "Okay, if either of us meet someone who looks like a copycat… I guess we'd better… um… _Oh!_ " She hopped up and down while pointing at something. "I see him! I see me a Snorlax!"

Buneary gasped and looked in the same direction. Over the river, though a big crevice in the wall nearby, she could see him. Snorlax! "Yeah, you're right!" she cried joyfully. She frowned when she noticed something… off, though. "Why's… he not moving, though? He's just standing there."

"… Yeah, he's still as a statue, ain't he? Did someone freeze him?"

"We, um… should find out. Can I ride you again?"

Corsola giggled suddenly. "Y-Yeah, sure you can 'ride me'. Let's go!" She hopped into the water.

Buneary paused. She smiled awkwardly as she hopped onto Corsola's back. "Er, y-yeah, thanks," she replied with a sheepish chuckle.

When the rabbit was comfortably in position, Corsola set off through the crevice. Once they were through, Buneary recognized the area as the same room they'd been in previously. The one with the giant lake and the few bits of land.

With a better view, she noticed with alarm that Snorlax and Golurk were standing in place in the lake… completely frozen, all fur and skin gray and lifeless. Like stone, almost.

Buneary could only stare. What the heck…?

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

**Originally finished:** 23/05 (May)/2020

 **Word Count:** 9,454

 **VGS2's sexy notes:** Uh oh! What could this mean!? Nothing good, I'm sure!

Oh, by the way… if you ever wanted to see some extra bonus content of this series, then feel free to check out [Questing For Comrades!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27378595/chapters/66906445)

Everything featured in the one-shot collection will be canon, so be sure to give it a look-see!

(Random fun fact I just found out right now, at time of typing: In Fire Emblem: Three Houses... Manuela, the residential 'sexy' lady who's middle-aged, gets drunk a lot and has horrible luck with men… is actually voiced by Ash's old voice actress, Veronica Taylor. Just thought I'd put that image in your head. XD)

 **Mistakes of the day:** **#1:** 'She could also feel Corsola moving back **a little**.'

(Not really a mistake, but I still fell into the trap of writing 'a little' or 'a bit,' which is in every fic I read these days, I swear. 'She moved back a little. She shivered a little. She ate a little. She died a little.')

 **#2:** 'His fists **cackled** with electricity.'

(I like to imagine that his fists sound like Gruntilda when they cackle.)

 **#3:** 'Buneary gasped as pure terror filled every **vain** in her body.'

(Buneary becomes egotistical as I use the wrong word.)

 **#4:** ' **Look,** she saw Golurk flying through the air, **backwards.** '

(I changed my mind on what happened during the battle, but still... lel. I hope you do as Buneary tells you to, reader! After all, Golurk's flying in reverse, I guess.)

 **#5:** 'Yamask said, frowning **determination.** '

(What is this, that goat simulator game called Undertale?)

 **#6:** 'she saw a flat bug pokémon with **lads** of feathers on its sides.'

(What a bunch of mad lads.)

 **#7:** 'He disappeared into a **puddle.** '

(What, just a tiny-ass puddle? XD I guess octopi are really good at slipping into tiny places, as long as it's bigger than their beaks, but still.)

 **#8:** ' **Ash** she staggered backwards,'

("Oh no, not awesome!" *Uses his aura powers to save her, win the league and bang all of his harem at once. All with his pet lucario underarm the entire time*)

 **#9:** "H-Hold him **done**!"

(That was quick.)

 **#10:** 'Looking, she saw the blue thing with **tentacle,** who looked **annoying**.'

(What a rude thing to say about a handicapped helix fossil with just one tentacle!)

 **#11:** 'Buneary let a **worrying** sigh escape.'

(Her sigh is worrying to hear? Oh dear, she must have a lot on her plate, then.)

* * *

Welp, that's all me screw ups for now! Please be sure to stop lurking by dropping me a review, a follow or a favourite, and I'll catch ya next time! Tata for now! c:


	5. The Specters

**VGS2's notes:** Just in case you missed the memo last chapter… don't forget to read the sister fic, [Questing For Comrades!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27378595/chapters/66906445) (It actually has chapters, now!)

It'll have stuff that's canon to this fic, including an alternate/extended take on an upcoming battle which you won't see here! So you won't wanna miss out! And if you do wanna miss out, then you're strange, mate. XP

If you have read it, though, then don't worry. There'll be different stuff happening in this chapter, so don't be too quick to back out, bucko. XP

* * *

* * *

Still riding on Corsola's back as she floated on the lake, Buneary stared at the petrified forms of Snorlax and Golurk in quiet horror.

"What in the…? What happened to them!?" she yelped, utterly confused.

"You can ask _that_ again!" Corsola replied. "They straight up got turned into stone, didn't they? Man, we sure missed out on a lot these past ten or so minutes we were gone, huh?"

"Y-Yeah... What even-… Oh…" Buneary shivered in fear. "Oh no. Does this mean Dark Matter's returned? Are we all doomed!?"

"… Dark… what?" Corsola asked, swimming towards the two petrified pokémon.

"Dark Matter! They say that it's some kind of demonic monster that threatened to destroy the world last year, by having everyone turned to stone. Oh, and by sending the planet into the sun! That's how the stories go, anyway."

"… You read some interesting stories, Buneary," Corsola replied in amusement.

Buneary pouted. "B-But… it really happened, though! It affected the whole of the Water Continent for _weeks!_ Did you really never hear about it?"

Corsola's eyes widened slightly. "… Seriously? Huh. Well, I guess last year, before we went guild hunting _this_ year, I was pretty busy with moving into Marine Resort with Whimsicott. Well, _near_ Marine Resort, anyway. So I didn't have much time to keep up with any news…"

"Oh… okay." That would explain it, Buneary guessed. Even though it had been a hot topic for everyone at the time. Even on _her_ home of Wellware Island.

Corsola swam even closer to Snorlax and Golurk's frozen forms. When close enough, Buneary saw some activity in the distance, on the land behind them.

Corsola gasped and pointed at it, apparently noticing, too. "Is… that Yamask? And who's that, above him?" she said.

Buneary squinted. As expected, she could see the wisp. However, he was collapsed on the ground with a pokémon standing over him menacingly. A marowak, from the look of its skull helmet… but a bit of a strange one.

Its scales were black, there was a strange skeleton pattern running down its back, and it was covered in loose bandages. Not to mention a multi-colored ribbon, which was wrapped around its arm.

It also had a treasure bag, which confused Buneary. Remembering Golurk's bag and his badge, though, the thought suddenly occurred to her: was this pokémon a member of Golurk's team? A member of the Donphan Guild, maybe?

The marowak moved into position for Buneary to see it better. Its front was rather flat and masculine, so… a man, maybe?

He suddenly grabbed the side of Yamask's flat face and slammed him into the floor.

Startled, Buneary yelped. "Wah! Yamask!" she called out.

"O-Ohhh, that's not good, is it?" Corsola said.

"Not at all!" Buneary's eyes widened. Wait… what was with all those purple fires clinging to Yamask's body? Was _this_ pokémon the reason for Snorlax and Golurk turning to stone?

… No, no way. No pokémon could be evil enough to do something like that.

All the same, she had to stop this marowak! "I have to go!" she called out, charging energy in her feet. She leapt forwards from Corsola, shooting straight across the lake to smash into the marowak's chest.

He grunted loudly in pain and fell off Yamask. She stayed on his ribs as he crashed to the floor, ready to take further action. However, he didn't move afterwards, so he must have fainted.

She turned to check on Yamask. He looked heavily roughed up, and those purple fires were still lingering on him… but despite that, he was conscious. He was even smiling brightly in relief. "B-Buneary! You saved me!" he called out.

She smiled back at him just as brightly. "Oh, Yamask, I'm glad you're safe!" she chimed.

While readjusting the small bag of money on her waist, she noticed Corsola coming close to shore. "That goes double for me~!" she sang happily, waving to them.

"S-Same to you, girls!" Yamask replied, waving back to the coral.

Corsola grinned even brighter in response. Afterwards, she glanced around worriedly. "Good... _legends,_ though, what the heck happened _here!?_ "

"Well... Golurk, for one thing. Then his friend Marowisp showed up and made a scene. Even froze Snorlax with an orb…" He paused. "... I _think_ they're friends, anyway."

"Yeesh, no _kidding_ they made a scene!"

Buneary let out a breath. So they'd been petrified by an orb? And not some sort of ancient demon magic? That was reassuring…

She looked at the bear's petrified body. In fact, now that she was looking properly... she could see cracks running along the surface, growing bigger with each passing second. She'd heard that those turned to stone by the Dark Matter incident had _literally_ been turned to stone. Here, it looked like this 'marowisp' bad guy had just _trapped_ them in stone, instead. Nowhere _near_ as bad.

"Gosh, I hope everyone'll be okay..." she murmured. "I'm glad it was just an _orb_ that froze them, but…"

"I think they'll get by..." Yamask replied, shakily floating back into the air. He pointed at the big hole in the wall with a concerned frown. "… but I'm a bit worried about Octillery."

Buneary stared at it in horror. "O-Octillery's in there!? Like... _really_ inside?" Holy Dialga, what could have happened to get him lodged in _there!?_

"Y-Yeah..." Yamask replied with a cringe.

"Oh no, not _that_ scary guy…" Corsola mumbled to herself, barely loud enough for Buneary's sensitive hearing to pick up.

Not commenting on her comment, Buneary continued to stare in disbelief. "W-What even happened for him to end up in a _wall!?_ " she yelped, rubbing her feet together as they itched.

"Marowisp's fire barge attack," Yamask explained. "It-"

Corsola interrupted him with a shriek. Looking at her, Buneary saw that she was pointing straight in _her_ direction. "B-Buneary! Bandages! They're going up you!" she yelled.

Buneary blinked. Huh…? She looked down at her itching feet and noticed that the white straps of cloth around Marowisp had begun wrapping themselves around her. They were working their way up her legs, slithering like snakes.

By the time she was shrieking like a banshee, they were already wrapping around her torso. "Oh, oh, _ohhh, it's awful, what's happening!?_ " she screamed, squirming for dear life.

"R-Relax! It's just Mummy!" Yamask yelled.

"Y-Your mom? What's she doing to me!?" Ohhh, why did everyone have it out for her, today!? Even Yamask's gosh darned mother!

"W-What!?" he yelped. "No, it's my ability! It-"

"Aha!" Marowisp yelled.

Buneary's legs were pulled out from under her and she crashed to the floor. She couldn't get up before he picked her up and held her against him with an arm around her belly.

She struggled, but she couldn't move an inch. He even had her arms completely trapped, and because he was twice her size, her feet were left dangling.

"I'm... I'm not through with you screwballs _yet!_ " the reptile panted. He sounded fatigued enough to faint... but if so, how was he able to hold her so well!? "I'll make sure you all end up unconscious before you know it, trust me!"

"W-Why!?" she stammered. "Y-You're an explorer like Golurk, aren't you? So why are you doing this?"

He huffed. "Ain't obvious enough, huh? It's 'cos I'm pissed. And I think taking out you little idiots should be enough of a pick me up!"

… What sort of logic was _that!?_ "Y-You don't have to do that! Please, l-let's talk things out!" she begged.

Causing a splash, Corsola jumped onto land beside Yamask. "Yeah, let her go!" she shouted. When she looked directly at Marowisp's face, whatever expression he was pulling made her bravado immediately deflate. "Er... p-please," she asked.

"How about no?" Marowisp replied with an arrogant chuckle.

Buneary whined sadly. This was so messed up. As far as she knew, they hadn't asked for any trouble... and yet this man was here, hurting Yamask, taking _her_ hostage and just being generally rude.

... The whole situation made her lose her temper. "Well... fine then!" she shouted. She powered up her ears with Dizzy Punch, bent them backwards and smashed him in his hard face again and again.

Each hit made him grunt in pain. She was sure he would faint any second... until her ears went right through him, like he wasn't even there.

Surprised, she stopped attacking. Oh, what the heck!? And... why were his arms transparent, now?

"Whoa, you're a ghost!?" Yamask yelled in surprise.

Buneary's eyes widened. A ghost? Really?

"Took you long enough to figure that one out, shrimp," Marowisp said with a huff of amusement. "Are you deaf, or do ya need a dictionary for what a 'wisp' is?"

Yamask blinked. He didn't reply, but he looked awkward.

Buneary tried to wrap her head around it. She'd never been able to quite figure out how ghost-types worked. As in, what didn't hurt them, and what did. She remembered something her brother had once said about how normal moves didn't work against them... but she'd gotten a few hits off with Dizzy Punch, so...

Agh, nope, she was lost. Either way, she was in a bad way, now. What could she possibly-!?

"Buneary, don't panic!" Yamask yelled, interrupting her thoughts. He started to conjure an alarming amount of darkness in his hands.

Buneary didn't like where this was going. "What... why? W-What are you doing?"

"Oh... very clever, squirt," Marowisp said in surprise. "'Cos she's normal-type, yeah?"

"That's right!" Yamask yelled, the ball in his hands getting bigger by the second.

So... Yamask had a plan? "O-O-Oh brother..." Buneary mumbled, still not entirely convinced she wasn't screwed.

Corsola was happily hopping about, clearly more trusting than _she_ was. " _Wooo~!_ Go, go, _Yamask~!_ No idea what you're doing, but _you can do iiiiit~!_ " she cheered.

"Y-Yeah! Wooo..." Buneary added, straining a smile.

Staggering slightly from fatigue, the reptile growled quietly. Shortly after, he changed his tone, huffing out what sounded like an evil chuckle. "Hey, here's a present for ya!" he said.

Buneary rose an eyebrow. She noticed him shifting around to free an arm.

Ah, that was an opening, right? She struggled as much as she could, hoping to get free. However, with just one arm, he kept her locked in place. Yeesh, how was he still so strong, even though he seemed close to fainting!?

She stopped struggling to stare at his freed arm in worry. Especially as he held the claw on his thumb up. "O-Oh, legends, what are you doi-?" she started.

The claw was lightly stabbed into her chest before being rapidly dragged around in many directions. He was fast, but she was confused at the lack of any pain. W-What was he up to?

She anxiously looked up at her friends. Corsola was frowning worriedly, and Yamask stared with a raised eyebrow, still continuing to charge some sort of ghostly move in his hands.

Oddly, she felt the lightest sensation of relief in her chest as Marowisp lifted his arm in the air, apparently finished. Immediately, Corsola and Yamask's demeanors changed. The coral's eyes went as wide as they could go, and the wisp's entire face went bright red.

" _H-Holy frigging Dialga!_ " he screamed. In his apparent shock, his attack fizzled out.

Ohhh, that couldn't be good. "W-What's going on?" Buneary cried out to them. She looked down at where Marowisp had scratched her. "What did he-!? … Ah..."

The world seemed to slow to a stop when she saw it. Instead of one large, covered lump... her bosom was completely uncovered, showing off two big, brown bumps with a pale pink nipple on each end.

The blood in her face boiled. " _Aghhhhhhh, oh, legends, **noooo!**_ " she screamed, instinctively making a move to cover herself. However, her arms were constrained, stopping her. She was on full display and couldn't do anything about it.

She screamed even louder and flailed around, kicking her legs about as hard as she could. Even as she kicked off loose bandages, she didn't stop.

Marowisp didn't care, though. He just laughed. "Oh, whoops! _Sorry!_ " he taunted.

"W-What the heck, you _fiend!_ " Corsola shouted, glaring at him. Her eyes drifted to Buneary's chest, making the rabbit flinch. "... Holy Mew, they're bigger than I expected. Lucky..."

Yamask was saying nothing. He simply stared, and... was he holding his mask near his groin? Was this _arousing?_

Mortified beyond words, Buneary nearly cried. What had she done to deserve this!?

She kept flailing as hard as she could. After a short while, she barely noticed Yamask covering his eyes. Because he wasn't covering himself, she could see a barely visible lump where his groin was, making her feel even worse for multiple reasons. " _I'm so sorry, Buneary!"_ he yelled. _"I'm not looking! I'm-_ "

"Hah, _good!_ " Marowisp interrupted. He flung Buneary.

She tumbled through the air, squealing. She crashed into something soft in mid-air and wrapped her arms around it in a panic. Calming, she realized that it was Yamask, whose face felt just about as warm as hers did.

"E-Er..." he mumbled, staring awkwardly.

Flustered, Buneary struggled to think of a reply. Before she could, something whacked her in the back of the head, making her forehead ram into Yamask's.

She squealed in pain. Dazed, she glanced around and barely caught sight of a bone flying through the air. It came back like a boomerang and slammed into the back of Yamask, knocking his head into hers again. _Owww...!_

They crashed into the floor. Groaning, Buneary looked up at Marowisp and saw him grab his bone as it returned to him.

He leered at them. "Heh, prudes and perverts... easy targets, all of ya!" he snarked.

Buneary gritted her teeth in annoyance. Ughh...! It wasn't often she got really _ticked off_ at someone, but this guy was _awful!_

Not only was he a _jerk,_ but thanks to _him,_ Corsola's and Yamask's memories of this day were going to involve her being half-naked.

Yamask suddenly started to float again. He feebly flopped to the floor after, clearly too injured to do much. It was a miracle he hadn't fainted, yet. She knew how he felt, too. She was aching badly from that Bonemerang attack.

She noticed that, because Yamask had moved, she was on display, again. The embarrassment returned as she used her paws to cover her shame. Darn it! She would cover herself with her fur, again, but... because of Klutz...

She briefly remembered the time she'd been adventuring around Ruby Lakeside with her squad. Earlier that morning, after washing herself, she'd tried covering her chest with her fur without her brother's help, for once. Later on that day, she'd used Bounce inside of a monster house, her chest fur had unraveled, and...

The memory made her face burn even more. No… she didn't want a repeat of that.

"Alright…" Marowisp muttered. Pushing herself up to look at him, she saw the reptile erupt into flames with a nasty glint to his eyes, "... _ready to get your asses **rocked?**_ " He charged towards Yamask, ignoring any loose bandages left behind.

Buneary gasped. W-What could she do!?

Corsola jumped in the way while surrounded in icy spikes. "No, stop! _Stooop!_ " she screamed.

Sadly, Marowisp didn't stop. "You wanna faint, too? Well, my _pleasure!_ " he yelled, ramming into her with all his might.

Buneary and Yamask called out her name as the coral went flying. She crashed into the lake with a loud splash.

Seeing her land in the water put Buneary on her last nerve. Clenching her teeth, she jumped to her feet and stared down the reptile, who was hunched over in pain while plastered in icicles.

Sparks began to fly from the wounds on her body, and something red glistened from her fluff. She could feel her injuries, adrenaline and anger mesh together into a pool of raw energy, filling her every vein as time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Still covering herself, Buneary lunged toward Marowisp. "[ _You made me do this!_ ]" she yelled, so angry that she slipped into her species language.

"W-Wha-?" he started, looking up.

She spun around and kicked him in the chest, earning a cry of pain from him. While he stumbled backwards, she twisted her body and hopped to uppercut him with her ear, briefly taking him off his feet.

She twirled around and kicked him in the side, sending him spinning away while barely able to keep himself upright. While hopping to her other foot to kick him again, she lost a hold of her breasts. Unrestrained, they flopped around as they pleased with her movements.

Groaning in displeasure, she bent over and made a desperate grab for them while she punched him repeatedly with her ears. After a while of failing to keep them under control, one of her punches sent Marowisp stumbling backwards, out of her reach.

Her heart skipped a beat at his escape. Agh... forget it, then! If she lost her rhythm now, she wouldn't get it back! With a deep breath and a really warm face, she gave up and jumped forwards to continue.

Marowisp sluggishly put his fists up and began to turn transparent. " _Ow,_ y-you fucking cock whor-" he started.

She ignored him to shove him backwards with her paws, making him stagger with a yelp as he turned solid again. Taking the opening, she jumped forwards to kick him in the face with both feet. Flipping backwards, she landed and lunged forwards for another punch to his gut, which made him wheeze. She almost felt bad for all the pain she was causing, but until he stayed down, she wouldn't stop!

Her embarrassment grew as she noticed her breasts were still jumping around for the world to see. To add to her horror, being exposed to the cold air - and admittedly, the thought of them being exposed in general - had left them poking outwards, erect. Oh jeez, she felt like a freaking miltank...!

Instead of being thrown off, she gritted her teeth harder. If she _had_ to put up with the shame, she would add it to her power! Crying out, she struck him with an arm and kicked him in the leg, toppling him. Now in the perfect position, she backflipped into a kick to his chin, sending him sailing high into the air, yelling in pain.

Landing on her ears during the backflip, she sprung them outwards to launch herself up. She went careening into his chin with her foot, sending him spinning backwards in midair. With a final battle cry, she flipped forwards and slammed both of her heels into his back.

He flew downwards, yelling all the way. His shouting was cut off as he crashed against the ground, sending rock and water flying from the impact.

Buneary fell to her feet just in time for her move to wear off. As time finally kept up with her, a wave of fatigue hit the rabbit all at once. Ughh, holy cow... she really hoped that had done it, because she wouldn't have it in her for another barrage like that...

Panting to catch her breath, she finally wrapped her arms around her chest, bringing instant relief at her restored decency. Staring at Marowisp's unmoving body against the cracked floor, she could tell that he was completely down for the count, now. His groaning implied he wasn't unconscious just yet, though.

She smiled lightly to herself, exhilarated beyond belief at the victory. Wow... that had been the absolute best Reversal she'd ever done! Her injuries, combined with all of her negative feelings, had made for an amazing attack. Even against a ghost-type like Marowisp.

... It was strange, though. Usually, she would need to be on the verge of fainting for it to be _that_ powerful. Or at least, she would need to be having a panic attack because of Run Away, her second ability. Save for some aches and pains, though, she felt pretty stable.

She shook her head to clear her mind. Oh well, it didn't really matter. She was just happy that she'd been successful. Even if she _was_ still rather embarrassed...

* * *

Buneary sat on top of Corsola, who was floating on the lake Snorlax's petrified body was currently standing in. Next to him was Golurk, who was also still encased in stone. He had less cracks covering his rock-coated skin than Snorlax, so it seemed he wasn't going to escape as quickly.

While she waited for the bear to finally escape his rocky prison, Buneary looked around at everyone. Corsola was happily waiting with her, now healthy, thanks to her ability bringing her back from fainting.

Octillery was floating in the water next to her, having been revived by a reviver seed earlier. He was tapping his tentacles against the water in what seemed like impatience.

Yamask was floating nearby, scratching at the purple fires that were still clinging to his skin. Unfortunately, he still seemed horribly flustered and distracted.

Knowing why, Buneary cringed again for what felt like the hundredth time in the past few minutes. Earlier, because she'd been unable to cover up her bosom - due to Klutz - she'd asked Yamask if he'd wanted to help. Mostly because she'd figured that he would appreciate being relied on to help someone.

Instead, however, now everything was extremely awkward. Thankfully, Octillery had been happy to fix up her chest - even despite her protests - but that didn't make her situation with Yamask any better.

Still, at least it was better than Marowisp's current situation. After Octillery had been revived, he'd come back to lots of sassing, and learning about what the reptile had done to Buneary. After that, he'd gotten so annoyed that he'd punished Marowisp by... um...

The rabbit gulped and decided not to think about it too much. Honestly, she'd had no idea that a bone could be used in such an awful way.

… Admittedly, her dreams were probably going to be more interesting than usual tonight, if she didn't watch herself with her thoughts, but all the same.

Sighing lightly to herself, she tried to think of a topic to break up the awkward silence. "Um… so…" she started. She grinned meekly. "… I think we all did great, keeping Marowisp at bay!"

"Y-Yeah! Definitely!" Corsola quickly agreed. "That guy was some _nasty_ work, so, um…" She waved her stubby arms like pom poms, "go, go, team~! We're the best~!"

"You're damn right, we are," Octillery replied with an air of smugness to his voice. "That sack of crap had a stupid… Ace Rank badge, I think. And we _still_ beat his ass!"

"Oh, you sure did 'beat his ass'..." Yamask mumbled sheepishly, earning a small giggle from Corsola.

"Is… that high?" Buneary asked Octillery.

"Higher than any of _our_ dumb ranks," he replied. "My team's rank's _gold_ , and that's _still_ friggin' lower. By a _lot._ "

She cringed. "Oof... well, the results spoke for themselves, I guess."

"They sure did!" Corsola replied. "I don't think I've _ever_ fainted so many times in one day…"

Buneary nodded. As she ran this information through her head, she beamed to herself. So... she'd beaten someone higher than a gold rank? Wow... her ego was soaring~! "Yeah, yeah! So we really _did_ do great~!" she sang.

"Um, I dunno..." Yamask mumbled sadly. "Doesn't feel like I helped, much, to be honest. All I did was get in the way..."

Buneary frowned sadly. "Hey... don't say that. You did your best!"

"Yeah!" Corsola agreed. "If it weren't for Marowisp taking out Buneary's little sisters, you would've knocked him out!"

"Y-Yeah..." Buneary agreed, embarrassed by the description. And what did she mean 'little'...?

"They're right, so shaddap, you did fine," Octillery added. "It's all about teamwork and shit, anyway, ain't it? S'what my bro, Kakuna, says, anyway."

"Yeah! No 'I' in teamwork~" Corsola chimed.

"Well... I-I guess so," Yamask replied with an awkward chuckle. He smiled. "Thanks, guys."

"No prob-"

A loud crackle of stone interrupted her. Everyone turned to stare at Snorlax, who had rocky fragments pouring down his body as he brought his arms up. He was finally freed.

"Snorlax! You're out!" Yamask said happily.

"Um, yep! Hey, everyone!" Snorlax replied. He looked at Octillery in surprise. "Er... and you, too, Octillery. I guess."

"About friggin' time!" the octopus groaned loudly. "You asleep in there, or what?"

Snorlax brushed some stone fragments off his arms. "Er... sorry. It's not easy breaking out of being petrified, y'know. Unless someone attacks you, or-" He gasped lightly and looked around frantically. "Wait, where's Marowisp!? He's, um..." He looked off in the direction of the land, where Marowisp was still lying, fainted. His eyes widened. "Oh... is that him over there? Is he... unconscious?"

"No doubt about it..." Corsola mumbled sheepishly.

"Yeah... we, um... beat him together," Buneary replied, a little confused. He was really under-reacting to, um... Marowisp's 'current circumstance'. Then again, Marowisp's bum _was_ facing away from the lake they were in, so...

Snorlax's face lit up. "Oh, congrats! You guys must've worked really hard to beat _him!_ " he praised.

She nodded happily. "We did!" She pointed at Yamask, who gave her a surprised glance in response. "Yamask did most of the work, though."

"Huh? N-No, I..." the wisp started. He bashfully rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I guess I... _started_ on him, but I didn't, like... _end it,_ or anything..."

"So modest, Yamask~" Corsola chimed.

Snorlax chuckled. "Well, in any case, great work! Beating _anyone_ from Team Specter is worth a good pat on the back, if you ask me," he said.

"Team Specter?" Octillery asked. "The Hell _were_ those cockwads, anyway? You can't tell me _those_ guys are explorers."

"Hah... your language is atrocious, as always..." Snorlax mumbled very quietly.

Octillery tilted his head. "... Whazzat? Didn't hear."

"Er, n-nothing!" The bear cleared his throat. "Um... well, you probably guessed, already, but they're an exploration team who are a bit too fond of their dodgy dealings."

"Ooh, I knew it! So they're outlaws!" Corsola exclaimed.

"Ehh, sort of." He waded around Golurk and began towards dry land, beckoning for everyone to follow. "C'mon, I'll tell you while we adventure! No use sitting around in this lake until we catch a cold or something, huh?"

Buneary and the others voiced agreements before following after him. Though Octillery just huffed and stayed put, instead.

"Hey, I've still gotta go get supplies!" he retorted. He held the bag slung around his neck higher. "Runnin' low, now, no thanks to all this bullshit!"

Snorlax stopped to look at him, causing everyone else to stop and turn, too. "Oh yeah, you like to go foraging to save money, don't you?" he asked.

"Yeah, and now I'm down by half the crap in my bag! Gonna have to work my friggin' tentacles off, now!"

Snorlax waved his paws in a defensive manner. "D-Don't worry, Octillery! I'll, er..." He looked around for a few seconds until his gaze met his bag. He patted it enthusiastically. "You can have some of _my_ things!"

Octillery blinked at him. He let out a heavy breath and shook his head. "Naww, screw it. I'll just put up with it, whatever." He swam towards Snorlax and the others, behind Corsola. "I'll just take stuff I find on the way to... wherever the Hell you're goin'."

"Oh, well... if you're sure?" Snorlax replied with a confused shrug. He awkwardly turned around and continued wading again. "Um... anyway, let's get to it!"

Buneary looked at the octopus in surprise. Why had he turned down free stuff?

Hmm, though then again... he _had_ saved her from an attack before they'd even gotten acquainted. He must just be the generous sort~

"Hey, er..." Yamask piped up, "do we... have to do anything about Golurk? We're sorta just... ignoring him."

"Oh, it'll be okay," Snorlax replied. "He was really struggling when he got turned to stone, so I doubt he'll be out for a while. Might've even fainted, already!"

"It won't be permanent, will it?" Buneary asked, concerned.

Snorlax laughed. "Well, I sure hope not, or else I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

She paused. Her face began to burn in embarrassment from her silly comment. "... You never know..."

The others chuckled at her expense, making her face warm further.

"Oh, Buneary, you're so special," Corsola teased. "A big guy like Golurk will work things out just fine, so we should just leave him to it, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah, no worries, Buneary!" Yamask added with a thumbs up. "It'll be... um..." His face went red and he avoided looking at her directly, "... all good."

Snorlax looked back at him with a tilted head. Buneary just cringed, however, knowing exactly why the wisp was acting that way.

She held her arms against her chest. Ughhh... she was absolutely never going to live down the whole Marowisp incident, was she?

* * *

Now on dry land, Buneary was walking alongside the others with Snorlax in front. He was leading them down a large, spiraling slope that led down to the next floor. Water trickled down the side of it in a steady stream. The soft trickling sound it made put Buneary at ease, though it was a pity it wasn't _hot_ water. She was still really chilly...

"... So, are you gonna tell us who those jerks were, or what?" Octillery asked while dragging himself along the floor. "You left us hangin'."

Snorlax gave a light, frustrated groan. "Oh, darn it, I nearly forgot." He gave a light, sheepish chuckle. "Sorry. Um, lessie... I guess I'd better start from the beginning. Back when we first started the guild, they were some of the first people to join up. Those two and their leader." He huffed in amusement. "Was always fun teasing them over the whole 'Team Specter' thing, when one of them wasn't even a ghost-type, yet."

"He wasn't?" Yamask asked, floating next to him.

"It's a branching evolution thing, I think. Starting as a cubone, and then becoming a marowak or a marowisp. Took him a while, though. He had to wait until a hot Summer's night before trying..."

"He sounded so cute back then," Buneary said, picturing a happy little kid holding his bone, waiting excitedly to evolve.

"Him? Cute?" Corsola giggled from her side.

Snorlax also chuckled along. "Yeah, not him, I'm afraid. I'm pretty sure he's always been the rowdy, rude sort. Before they started calling him 'Vile Marowisp,' I'm pretty sure his title was 'Quip Cubone.' Seriously, he would just _never_ let up on making sassy comments."

He sighed before continuing. "That and his general unpleasant attitude towards everyone was why we didn't take him to the PokéPark with us, on our fun, yearly 'expedition'," he finished.

Yamask's eyes widened. "Oh yeah, you said that to him, didn't you? When he started attacking."

"Yep. I don't know for _sure_ why he did that, but that's as good a guess as any. It's why he left the guild and went independent with his teammates before he could graduate." He sighed. "He never took it well at all..."

Buneary frowned sadly. Well, that explained why he'd seemed so... spiteful, thinking back on it.

"Well, good friggin' riddance!" Octillery said. His usual frown hardened. "Anyway, who's the big bastard who made the caves shake?"

"Oh, Golurk? Eheh, yeah, we really went at it. Sorry," Snorlax said, glancing back to give him a sheepish look.

"You two better not have wrecked the cave, or I'll kill both of ya!"

The bear cringed worriedly. "Urk! Er, d-don't worry about it, Octillery! We didn't! B-Besides, mystery dungeons always repair themselves after a while, anyway! Dungeon magic, and all that."

The octopus let out a huff. "I guess..."

"Anyway, I didn't wanna fight him... but he insisted."

Corsola gave him a curious look. "Why'd he do that, anyway? Was he annoyed that you kicked him out of the expedition, too, way back when?" she asked.

"No, we didn't kick _him_. He's just _always_ been that way. He would train day and night, and pick fights whenever he could. Especially with pokémon he considered strong." He rubbed the back of his neck. "... Made things really awkward when he found out about PokéPark's celebrity, Lightning Strike Pikachu, while we were there."

Buneary's eyes lit up. "Oh, he's the hero of a book I'm reading! 'Wonders Beyond: Part 1!' He's supposed to be so tough, he could take down legendaries on his own!" she said excitedly.

"Right you are, miss! So as you can imagine, Golurk _really_ enjoyed endlessly stalking him for the two weeks we were there. Eheh... "

"Gosh..." Yamask mumbled, "did that Golurk have a reason for that big fighting obsession of his?"

"Nothing too complicated. He was just trying to become the 'strongest pokémon,' or something."

"Well, he's got a good pace going for it, then, hasn't he?" Corsola replied. "He was scary, that one."

"Yeah..." Yamask agreed. "None of my attacks even fazed the big guy."

"We didn't call him 'Maximum Golurk' for nothing!" Snorlax replied. "If he hadn't gone independent with his teammates, he would've passed the graduation test, for sure."

"Eheh, I'm sorta jealous."

Buneary nodded while frowning worriedly. "Do any of us stand a chance of beating someone as big as that?" she asked.

"Oh, definitely, and there's a secret to it!" Snorlax chimed.

"Evolvin', right?" Octillery asked.

"Um... sort of. Evolving gives you a huge, immediate boost in power... but it takes a heck of a lot longer to get more powerful, after that. So overall, you probably won't get quite _as_ strong. Honestly, you're better off not evolving 'till later, when you've trained up some." He let out an exasperated breath. "... Not that Golurk listened when I told _him_ that, but..."

"Huh, if it's not that, then what's the secret?" Buneary asked.

"Well, y'see... it's true that bigger pokémon are naturally stronger, and can cover a lot of ground with their attacks. Not too hard to guess that, I'm sure."

He held his claw up, like a scholar. The sight amused Buneary. Someone seemed happy, being a teacher. " _Buuut_..." he continued, "smaller pokémon are usually a _lot_ more nimble, because there's less weight to carry around. Charging a good _powered_ move is often way, way faster, too. Oh, and not to mention that the bigger you are, the easier a target you'll make, too. Hard to hit something quick and small, after all!"

Octillery scratched his head. "So... big pokémon are useless, is that what you're tellin' us?" he asked.

Snorlax brought his claw down. "Um, well... they can easily make you faint just by stepping on you, so you shouldn't underestimate them, unless you want a hard time. And sure, they might not be able to charge powered moves very fast... but when they can fill an entire hallway with a bog-standard Hyper Beam... well, then that's cause for concern, wouldn't you say?"

"Yikes..." Corsola mumbled. "Yeah, no thank you."

"So it's... raw power versus speed, is it?" Buneary asked.

"Right you are! So big or small, everyone has a chance of winning, if they're good enough." He chuckled. "Or if they're lucky and their opponent's bad enough, I guess." He paused for a second. "... Um, though probably the former for you guys, of course. Agh, maybe one of these days, I'll learn to watch my wording..."

Corsola and Yamask giggled and chuckled in amusement, though Buneary pulled a face. She sure hoped she would fall in the first category and not the second...

The slope they'd been travelling down finally leveled off into a large room, indicating they'd gone down a floor. After all the trouble they'd been through, Buneary was really pleased they'd finally made some good progress.

... Unless a team _worse_ than Team Specter was here, too. She really hoped not.

She blinked as that thought made another one spring to mind. "Wait, Mr. Snorlax, who's the third team member, anyway?" she asked.

"He's..." Snorlax started. He stopped to hum in thought. "Well, to be honest with you, nothing ever slips his notice, so I don't doubt we'll bump into him at some point on our travels. How about I leave his species a surprise for you? Get you excited, and all that!"

"Can't wait..." Yamask mumbled with a worried frown.

"Ohh, is he going to be mean, just like the other two?" Buneary asked, frowning just as worriedly.

"No, no, don't worry," Snorlax replied. "Sure, he's the best fighter of the three, and a bit of a jokester... but he's actually pretty social, wouldn't you know?" He huffed amusedly. "He'll at _least_ have a chat, before he challenges people to a fight for the sake of it."

Buneary felt reassured to hear that, but only slightly. "Oh, well... that's good?"

Octillery huffed. "S'long as he don't blow up half the cave, like that idiot golurk guy."

"I won't say I'm hopeful..." Corsola sighed.

Buneary let out a light breath. She couldn't help but agree.

* * *

While walking down one of the many tunnels of the cave with her friends, Buneary furrowed her brow in concern while looking at Yamask. In the confusion of the fight, she'd forgotten all about the shadowy flames clinging to him. They were becoming increasingly hard to ignore, though. They hadn't faded away, yet, and he was still scratching them.

"Gosh... Yamask, are you doing okay?" she asked. "You've been scratching at those flames an awful lot."

Everyone stopped and looked at Yamask, who was still scratching away. He glanced about, seeming sheepish at the sudden attention brought to him. "Oh, er... eheh, don't worry about me," he replied, smiling awkwardly.

"The Hell _are_ those freakin' flames, anyway?" Octillery asked. "I thought it was just some freaky ghost shit you were doin', but what are they, really?"

"Um... it _is_ some freaky ghost stuff, I guess. They appeared when Marowisp hit me with his bone."

"Oh no, that rings a bell..." Snorlax mumbled. "Do you feel a bit numb where the flames are?"

Yamask's eyes widened. "Y-Yeah, I do! How'd you know?"

"Thought so. It's Marowisp's Shadow Bone move. If he hits you, you'll have that ghostly fire following you for a while, making you feel pretty bad."

"Oh, that's just great..." Yamask sighed.

"Poor you, Yamask..." Corsola said, giving him a sad, sympathetic smile. She perked up. "You know, I saw a wonder tile down one of these hallways. Maybe _that'll_ patch you up!"

Buneary tilted her head. A... wonder tile?

Snorlax smiled at the coral. "Ooh, great idea, Corsola! Why don't you lead the way to it, then?" he asked.

Her eyes widened. "Oh, um... s-sure!" she replied. While everyone moved into position to follow her, her eyebrows crinkled in a way that didn't match her smile. "Oh dear... n-not used to being the leader, eheh..."

"Well, you've gotta be!" Octillery retorted. "You're the only one who knows where the friggin' thing is!"

She yelped. "Y-Yeah, I know..."

He paused before waving his tentacles in a reassuring manner. "Uh, no pressure though, or any shit like that. Just... whatever."

"... Th-Thanks?"

Buneary felt a little sorry for her. Despite how much prestige the rabbit wanted, she was a little shy, herself, so she could sympathize.

Coming up with an idea, she offered Corsola a smile. "It's okay, Corsola. I've got just the ticket~" she chimed.

Corsola turned to look at her in interest. "Oh?"

Buneary hopped high to softly land on her back. "Umm... g-giddyup, partner!" Her face burst into heat the second the words left her mouth. Oh, why was she so good at mortifying herself?

She saw some odd looks coming her way, making her more embarrassed. Corsola, however, gave a pleased gasp.

"Oh! The pokémon tower thing!" she chimed.

"Y-Yeah, that's right!" Buneary replied, happy that she remembered.

"Ooh, lovely! We can do 'the Bounce' again!"

Buneary giggled. "Oh yeah! We can do 'the Bounce'! Yay~"

"Er... _the_ Bounce?" Yamask asked, scratching his head.

"It's an in-joke, Yamask~" Corsola replied. "Earlier, we joined our forces and used Bounce! And we were so excited, we sort of forgot to English properly, so now it's 'The Bounce'!"

"Uh, okay..."

"... Women are frickin' crazy..." Octillery muttered quietly, looking very thrown off. Hearing him with her sensitive hearing, Buneary looked off to the side sheepishly.

"You know what, girls?" Snorlax said. "I think I remember, now! You combined your moves to make an icy Bounce! Is that what you're up to, now?"

"You bet'cha, Snorlax~!" Corsola chimed.

"Ooh, that's cooler than cool!" Yamask said excitedly. "Can you show me? Please show me!"

Buneary perked up at the increased enthusiasm. "Sure, we-" she started. Remembering something, she paused, humming in thought. "Actually... why don't you join us?"

His head jerked back in surprise, briefly bringing his floating body with it. "J-Join you? How would I do _that?_ "

"Get onto my head! It'll make more sense!"

"Uh, okay?" He flew above her. Shortly after, she could feel his wispy skin brush past her upstanding ear, and the cold metal of his mask brush against her back.

Shivering lightly at the cold sensation, she suddenly felt his weight on her head as he plonked himself on top. "Y-Yeah, there you go!" she said. "Now you just have to, um… _feel_ my move energy, and then you'll be good as gold~"

"G-Gold?" Yamask stammered, sounding worried.

She raised an eyebrow at his sudden panicking. She began to wobble before she could ask, though. "W-Whoa! Um, c-careful, though! We have to be in sync with each other, or we'll wobble! A-And maybe even collapse!"

He caught his breath. "S-Sorry. I just… Um, I'll try better!"

Buneary felt herself stabilize again. "Okay... cool." She glanced around at the others. She couldn't see Corsola's face from where she was, but she saw that Snorlax was watching on in intrigue, and Octillery was… looking displeased, while crossing his tentacles?

When she noticed what looked like a pout on his tube-like mouth, she felt slightly worried. "Are you okay, Octillery?" she asked.

His head snapped in her direction. "Huh!? Ah, no, it's good. I'm good," he replied.

"Oh my, are you jealous, Octillery?" Corsola asked.

"N-No! I ain't friggin' jealous!" He turned away again with a huff. "I don't care if you're leavin' me out of it. Whatever…"

"Aww, no need to be like that, Octillery," Buneary said. She invitingly patted Corsola's back… er, or rather, her head? "The more of us in a tower, the stronger we are!"

He looked at her, seemingly considering it. "… Really?"

"Sounds good to me!" Yamask said.

"Sure does! Come aboard!" Corsola chimed. "I think this tower thing is making me a bit stronger than usual, so I can handle it~!"

"… 'Kay."

* * *

Buneary shifted her feet to correct herself as she stood on top of Octillery, who was spread out on top of Corsola while she walked along. All with Yamask on Buneary's head, holding onto her upright ear for support.

Despite the weight on her head, and Octillery's slippery skin, she didn't have too much issue staying balanced. Their trust in each other - as well as their generally similar sizes - made the tower stable, even with the four of them stacked on top of each other. Their shared strength made their weights a non-issue, too, letting Corsola wander as she pleased.

Buneary could sense Snorlax behind them, probably watching them with intrigue as he followed along. Remembering that she was trying to make a good impression to such a legendary explorer, Buneary took a deep breath and tried to muster up as much courage as she could. She would need it.

Upon rounding a corner, she spotted a cradily a short distance away, as tall as their combined size.

It stared at her tower with irritation in its eyes. "Oh, what're you dumb explorers up to, _now?_ " he growled in a rugged voice. His mouth glowed purple. "I'll knock your dumb tower _down!_ "

"We'll knock your dumb block off, first!" Octillery retorted.

"Y-Yeah! Uh... dummy!" Yamask shouted, earning a snort of laughter from Corsola.

Huffing angrily, the cradily launched a huge ball of purple sludge at Buneary's tower from his mouth.

Corsola yelped and tried to jump out of the way. However, the tower swerved, causing the ball of sludge to barely graze Octillery, who swore loudly in response.

Everyone wobbled, but stayed standing. They were still stabilizing when the cradily launched another, smaller ball of sludge at Buneary.

She flinched, but a steaming jet of water surrounded in red and black rings hit the ball just in time. After a short power struggle, the sludge lost momentum and was washed backwards, smashing into the cradily's face. He was knocked to the floor with a cry.

Buneary looked up and saw Yamask with his arms outstretched and his fingers dripping. He was grinning really proudly, like he'd won a prize. "Oohh, I-I did it! _Sweet!_ " he cried happily.

"Ooh, linking something on your first try! Even _without_ a link box!" Snorlax called out from behind, sounding very impressed.

"Yeah! This pokémon tower thing is _so_ cool!"

"Screw _that!_ " Octillery shouted, sounding truly flabbergasted. "I just wanna know how the Hell you used my Scald!?"

"You try it, Octillery!" Buneary encouraged. "Try to feel my energy and use my Dizzy Punch!"

"So _that's_ what you meant!? Well... I can feel _something,_ so... sure, fine!" He tapped Corsola on the head with his tentacles. "Gemmie close enough, woman! ... Um, please, and stuff!"

The coral jumped in surprise. "Oh! G-Going closer!" she replied. She charged towards the... plant creature?

The cradily jumped onto two feet, surprising Buneary. She'd thought those had been roots! "Oh, no, you don't!" he yelled. He leapt forwards into a lunge, glowing brightly as he sailed through the air.

"H-Here he comes!" Yamask shouted.

Buneary could sense Corsola using Harden. Taking a page from her book, Buneary pulled the top of her fluff up and borrowed the move, stiffening her fluff until it was hard as rock.

The cradily's head smashed into her, and she could tell that his body had simultaneously smashed into Corsola. Everyone squealed or yelled as the tower was sent flying backwards.

Expecting the tower to topple, Buneary clenched her eyes shut. She only ached a little, because of Harden, but _yeesh!_

She and all of her friends came to a stop when they hit something squishy. Turning her head back, she saw Snorlax's belly.

"Uh, eheh... don't mind me!" he said, gently pushing them until they were standing, again.

"Sorry!" Buneary, Corsola and Yamask all yelled at once.

Octillery grumbled out a "Thanks..." instead.

Looking at the cradily, Buneary saw him heavily catching his breath, like he'd recently run a marathon. He also had steam pouring off his body, like he'd just used Hyper Beam, or something. Did the move he'd used against them work the same way?

If so, this was their chance! "C-Corsola, let's all go in swinging!" she called out.

"Sure! Going and swinging!" the coral cried back, running again.

Buneary instinctively got ready to punch with her ears, though she stopped herself and charged her move with her paws, instead. Phew, Yamask didn't deserve a punching!

Speaking of the wisp, she saw his fists glowing in multiple colors above her. She looked down and saw Octillery looking at his now-glowing tentacles in shock, like they'd suddenly grown heads and had started talking to him. Corsola was just rapidly flailing her glowing hands in front of her while running.

When they were within range, paws, fists, stubs and tentacles went flying, pummeling the cradily with a flurry of Dizzy Punches.

He resisted for a while, but, eventually, he flopped onto his side. "Ughhh, you guys… suck…" he groaned painfully, consciousness rapidly fading.

Everyone stopped their assault, allowing their attacks to fade.

"Oh… we won, I guess~!" Corsola chimed.

"Yeah, and we made that look _easy!_ " Yamask replied happily.

"Congrats, you guys!" Snorlax said from behind. "That was quite a show!"

"You really weren't kidding 'bout that whole 'sharing moves' thing, huh?" Octillery asked, looking his tentacles over, again.

"Nuh-uh!" Buneary said, giddy from her tactic working so well. "As long as we're in a pokémon tower, and we're in sync, we can do all sorts~"

"So cool…!" Yamask said. She could feel him shivering in excitement.

"There's gotta be some sorta downside, right?" Octillery asked.

"There always is to these sorts of crazy techniques," Snorlax replied. "Is it… stamina? Or hunger?"

"Oh, um…" Buneary started. She stalled for a while before fidgeting. "… I forgot. I only ever got the confidence to go on towers when my brother was there. Just so I didn't, um… annoy anyone."

She could sense everyone giving her awkward stares. Yamask quickly broke the silence, though. "Aww, no way, you don't annoy me, Buneary! You're _cool!_ " he said, balling a fist where she could see it.

"Yeah, no arguing from me!" Corsola added. "I thought this trip was going to just be us walking and talking, but you certainly made it one to remember~"

"At this rate, you're gonna fit in real quick, I just know it," Snorlax joined in.

Touched, Buneary held a paw to her chest. "D'aww, well… thanks, everyone," she replied. She was a little embarrassed, she had to admit... but hearing that had really perked her spirits~

"Y'hear that? We think you're cool!" Octillery added. "Now get some confidence, already, or you'll end up like that shitty salandit who runs when I friggin' _cough_ wrong!"

"Er… I-I'll try!" she replied.

Snorlax sighed. "Salandit's not a shi- ... Uh…" He let out a second sigh. "Oh, never mind. She's not a 'shitty' salandit, Octillery… She's just a bit… er, easy to rattle," he chided.

"Yeah, for sure…" Yamask mumbled, joining in on the sighing.

"W-Well… 'kay, she ain't shit, but she's still gotta work on that!" Octillery retorted, flustered.

Buneary pulled a face. Yeesh, she'd been hearing a lot about that girl. She didn't even know what a salandit was, but if she saw a really nervous-looking person, she would have to be careful if she wanted to make friends.

… Making friends… gosh, she'd never considered making _that_ one of her goals. Because her brother had always been so popular, she'd always preferred to stay out of the way. Especially since her constant fumbles often caused grief on missions.

Now, though… the idea seemed very nice. Heck, she was excited to try! Especially if it would help her build the confidence to get as much respect as she possibly could!

* * *

For several more minutes, Buneary rode through some more corridors in her friends' pokémon tower. They'd fought off the occasional wild pokémon whenever one had decided to attack, but otherwise, nothing eventful had happened.

While carefully traversing an especially soggy corridor filled with puddles, a few zubat suddenly flew up to them. One of which was holding something with its legs.

Buneary tensed up, ready for another fight. She could sense her friends doing the same. Before anything could happen, however, one of the zubats spoke up.

"Wooow, look at _that,_ guys!" the one with the longest 'legs' said in awe. Buneary could tell from appearance that it was a boy. "Those guys are rocking some huge piggyback... thing!"

The one with tiny wings pulled a face. With no eyes on its face, it was hard for Buneary to tell what emotion it was trying to convey. She could see that he was a boy, though, at least. "Hah? I don't get it..." he mumbled.

Buneary relaxed her fighting stance slightly. She could feel Yamask do the same, as his muscles stopped tensing.

"It's, er... it's a pokémon tower," Yamask explained. "When we're like this, we can fight better."

" _Cooool!_ " the long-legged zubat chimed. "Guys, guys, it's cool! Right, guys!?"

"Yeah, it surely is," the third one - a male, more normal-looking zubat - replied. He fiddled with the gray disc he was carrying with his feet, seemingly in thought. "... Maybe _we_ should try that."

"Yeah, yeah, guys, let's do it!"

They started to haphazardly fly on top of each other. Once they were in position, they looked like some sort of three-headed zubat monster. It was an amusing sight that made Buneary giggle to herself.

"Huh, this _is_ pretty neat, actually," the small-winged zubat admitted.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks, you guys~!" the long-legged zubat said to Buneary and her friends.

"N-No problem?" Yamask replied, sounding rather perplexed.

"Buneary's the one who came up with it~" Corsola chimed.

"Er, y-yeah, sort of," Buneary replied, a little embarrassed by the sudden attention.

"Great work," the normal zubat said. "We'll be the talk of the bluff, now. Here!" He threw the disc he'd been carrying towards Buneary. "A gift!"

She yelped and tried to grab it, but it slipped right out of her paws. Thankfully, Octillery grabbed it as it fell. "Um... th-thank you!" she called out to the zubat, face warming at her little fumble.

The gang of zubats flew past Buneary and her friends to continue down the corridor.

"So like I was saying..." the tiny-winged one started, judging by his voice, "how the heck can we see things with no eyes!?"

The long-legged one gasped. "You can _see!?_ I had to keep listening for sound waves while I talked and flapped my wings, and stuff!"

"... Huh?"

They continued their conversation, but Buneary stopped listening as Octillery piped up.

"... The Hell was that about!? They were wild, right!?" he exclaimed, sounding confused beyond words.

"Yeah," Yamask agreed. "They're usually all about attacking people... right?"

"Well, not all of them," Snorlax replied. "Most of them, sure, but wild pokémon come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and, er... levels of aggression."

"Why _are_ they so violence happy, most of the time?" Corsola asked.

Buneary smiled softly at a memory. "Elder Slowking back in my hometown used to say that wild pokémon were a little hyper," she said.

Snorlax laughed. "Well... he's not wrong, I guess!" He calmed down and started walking again, stepping over puddles as he did. "Really, though... it depends. If it's not 'being hyper', it's either territory reasons, or wanting a fun fight reasons, or... just being angry for the sake of it reasons... There's just too many to list!"

Corsola kept up with Snorlax, walking by his side with her friends on top. "Tsk! You never see townspokémon getting so riled up for no reason," she huffed.

"Um... usually," Buneary mumbled, remembering a huge argument that had broken out all across her town, once. One which had almost even led to a divorce...

"Yeah, why've they all got a stick up their asses, the wild bastards?" Octillery asked.

Corsola chuckled sheepishly. "That's, um... an interesting choice of words coming from you, Octillery."

Buneary cringed while Yamask snorted out a laugh. Octillery just murmured in confusion, as if he didn't get it.

Buneary heard Snorlax quietly mumble, "He sure does have a stick up his backside..." to himself in amusement. She didn't dare explain what Corsola had actually meant, though.

"Um, a-anyway..." Snorlax continued, "to be fair to 'em, most wild pokémon are, er... well, I won't mince words. They're pretty dumb."

Buneary gasped. "M-Mr. Snorlax! That's a bit mean, isn't it?" she said, surprised that _he_ would say that, of all pokémon.

He rubbed the back of his head. "Eheh, mayyybe a little. But trust me, it's true. The clever wild pokémon at least make _some_ kind of effort to move into a town, or somewhere else with better behaved pokémon."

"Er, what about pokémon who are really poor?" Yamask asked. "Are _they_ dumb?"

"Or the ones that really love nature, eh?" Octillery asked.

"H-Hey, they hardly count, do they?" Snorlax replied, flustered. "The ones _I_ mean are the pokémon who don't like towns or the people who live in them. And they can always tell who's wild and who's not. I have no idea why."

"Why wouldn't people like to live in a town?" Buneary asked, barely holding back the urge to stretch her ears, for Yamask's sake.

"Well... my grandpa told me that towns, communities, and... I guess civilization in general only really began about... half a century ago, or so? Something like that." He brushed off some water that had dripped onto his bag. "While most pokémon can't even _imagine_ any other way of living these days, there are still lots and lots of pokémon who are _far_ too stubborn, or traditional to try the civil life. So mystery dungeons are still packed full of them to this day, all full of those wild instincts of old in 'em."

"Well, keeps us in the job, so I'm not complaining~!" Corsola chimed, walking around a puddle.

He let out a chuckle. "Good way of looking at it."

The group went back into comfortable silence for a short while.

Eventually, Octillery broke the quiet moment. "... Wait, this is yours, ain't it?" he asked, looking over the gray disc in his tentacles.

"Whose?" Yamask asked.

"Buneary's," Octillery replied, holding it up for the rabbit to grab onto. "S'what that zubat said, anyway."

"Oh... thanks?" she replied, taking it with both paws. Getting a better look at it, she realized it was a TM. One for Swift, judging by the label on it. She smiled apologetically. "It's lovely, but... I already have four moves. Does anyone else want it?"

Snorlax moved over to take it. "I'll keep it in my bag for now, but you may as well keep it. No harm in having some extra moves lying about!" he said, putting it in his bag as promised. "Hey, in fact, remind me later tonight and I'll lend you some blank TMs to store your older moves. You can swap between them all and experiment, then, can't you?"

Her eyes lit up. "Really? You can do that? Well, okay, thanks so much~!" She paused. "Wait... 'tonight'? Before I've even joined, properly?"

He stalled. "Well... if we haven't scared you off by the end of the adventure, anyway..."

"Oh... you'll join us, though, won't you, Buneary?" Corsola asked with a hint of worry to her voice.

"Definitely~!" Buneary replied. She tapped her paws together. "Um, if I prove myself, of course. That's why we're here, after all, eheh..."

Snorlax huffed. "Oh, when you put it _that_ way, I dunno... this guild _is_ only for the elite, so it'll take some consideration...!" he said.

Buneary's heart skipped a beat. "O-Oh, o-of course!" she replied, shaking from nerves. Oh, she knew it! She wasn't impressing him! She was doomed!

"Hey, don't tease Buneary!" Yamask scolded. "She's- W- _Whoa!_ "

Buneary and her friends began to topple. Her mind raced as she struggled to stay upright. Oh, dear legends, why were they _falling over!?_

The panic made her shiver harder. As soon as she realized _that_ was the cause, the tower collapsed and everyone fell onto the floor.

Buneary and her friends groaned in pain. The rabbit shivered again as she picked herself out of a cold puddle. Ugh...

Though afraid of seeing everyone's disapproval, she anxiously looked around. Oddly, most of them were giving disapproving looks to Snorlax, who was smiling very sheepishly. Corsola just looked awkward, instead.

"Um... l-looks like I put my foot in it," the bear said, glancing around nervously.

"Yeah, 'cos you picked on Buneary, ya bastard!" Octillery yelled. "You wanna die!? I'll put my foot up _you!_ "

Snorlax's eyes opened wide in shock. " _Urk!_ B-But you don't have any...! Um..." He faced Buneary while sweating profusely, once again squinting. "S-Sorry, Miss! I'm a bit too good at rattling you, huh? Hah..."

"Um... i-it's okay...?" Buneary replied, a bit bewildered by the situation. "I'm... Am I close enough to being elite, or have I got no chance after all...?"

"Buneary," Corsola said, an air of amusement to her voice, "if someone as hopelessly bad as _me_ can get into the guild, what makes you think _you_ can't?"

Standing up, Buneary stalled. "... Well, I, er..." She stalled again before shaking her head rapidly. "Y-You're not bad, don't say that!"

Corsola giggled in response. "You considered it~"

Buneary pouted at the coral, making her giggle harder. Yamask and Snorlax chuckled along, though Octillery just huffed exasperatedly, instead.

"Oh, well," Corsola said as her giggles calmed down, "I think we're nearly there, so should we just go as is?"

"Sounds good to me!" Yamask replied. "Using everyone's moves was starting to wear me out, anyway…"

"Yeah, same here!" Corsola said. "Even though they weren't _my_ moves, it didn't make much difference!"

"Heh, well, there's that drawback we talked about, I suppose," Snorlax said. "Stamina, just like I thought."

"Y-Yeah, I think so…" Buneary replied. Yeah, she remembered now… Back in the Blazing Squad, everyone would always complain whenever they had tried to use her Reversal, because it was such a draining move.

Thankfully, the same hadn't happened today. She dreaded to think what would have happened if Team Specter's leader had shown up as promised, and they'd had no more stamina for their moves.

"Oh, Snorlax, you're a clever one~" Corsola praised, making him beam. She pointed down the hallway. "But yeah, everyone, it's just that-a way, down that hallway~!"

With some words of acknowledgement, everyone continued down the hallway. After a short while, though, they came up to a dead end.

They all stood at the end of the hallway, blankly staring at the wall stopping their progress.

"... Uh...?" Corsola started slowly. Looking at her, Buneary could tell she was completely perplexed and more than a little awkward.

"Oh, don't tell me ya got lost!" Octillery said irritably.

The coral yelped and rapidly shook her head. "I-I didn't! This was the way to where the floor started and that wonder tile was! Honest!"

"Oh, dear..." Snorlax mumbled, paws on hips. "I guess the dungeon must have shifted a bit."

"Shifted?" Buneary asked.

"Yup. Rooms move around... entrances to hallways open and close up on a whim... entirely new places can just show up out of the blue... " He let out an amused huff. "It's really no wonder people get lost in these things."

Buneary pulled a face, though she lightened up when she realized something. "Wow, dungeons really _are_ magical, huh?" she asked.

Snorlax chuckled heartily. "They really are, aren't they? They've always amazed me, even back when I was a kid, living near Mystifying Forest with my parents. They seem so small on the outside, but then you enter one and it gets so mind boggling at how big it is!"

Buneary clasped her paws to her chin in wonder. "Oooh, that's so fantastical~!"

Corsola giggled. "Not too hard to impress you, is it? You're so precious~" she chimed.

Buneary felt embarrassed, especially as the others became amused, too. "... I like stuff like that," she mumbled, holding back a pout.

"Well, I think it's cool, too!" Yamask said. Scratching at the dark flames surrounding him again, he let out a breath. "Really annoying for getting missions done quickly, though. If we could use maps, it'd be _so_ easier!"

"What're you even complainin' about?" Octillery asked. "You and your damn team can go through friggin' walls! All I've got is stupid-ass swimming and sticking to walls and shit!"

"H-Hey, Elgyem can't follow us through walls! Besides, I can't just go through them any time I want, y'know. It drains my stomach dry, so I'm screwed if I don't have something to eat and I don't get out in time!"

"Huh, that happened to an outlaw we were chasing, once..." Snorlax murmured. "Took us forever to find her when she fainted and the dungeon teleported her out." He shook his head and smiled. "Anyway, it's alright. There's no fun to missions if they're too easy, so it's good if you have to explore a bit!"

Buneary smiled along with him. "Oh, it's about the journey and not the destination, right? Like my brother would always say~" she said.

"Haha, yup! Your brother's a smart one, Miss." He turned around. "On that note, let's find our way around."

"Oh, wait!" Yamask interjected. He turned slightly transparent. "If it's through the wall, like Corsola said, I could just... go through, myself!"

"Ooh, another smart one in the team~!" Corsola praised. She pointed at the wall. "It's that-a way~!"

He nodded. "'Kay! I'm-"

A sudden harsh noise startled everyone. An immediate second one made Buneary's head snap towards its direction with both ears outstretched. "O-Oh, my legends, what's going on, now!?" she squealed.

On the wall, she noticed two clean, diagonal cuts, deep enough to lead through to the other side. Through the holes, she barely noticed something moving before two more cuts joined the others in a cross pattern.

"Is this some more fuckin' dungeon bullshit, or what!?" Octillery yelled.

Snorlax sighed. "Nope. I think _he's_ here," he said in bemusement.

"Wh-Who's ' _he'!?_ " Corsola cried.

Harsh gray energy poured through the cracks in the wall until the whole thing exploded outwards, sending rocks flying.

Everyone squealed or yelled in surprise. Looking past the carnage, Buneary caught a glimpse of a glowing purple eye staring straight at her.

A stray rock slammed against her forehead and made everything go black.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

**Originally finished:** 13/08 (August)/2020

**Word count:** 10,914 (Long as Hell!)

**VGS2's sausage notes:** Fun fact! Pokémon have two abilities in the first two mystery dungeons! (Not the DX version, though. Phooey...)

On that note... it might be obvious to some of you by now, but I won't be entirely strict about moves, and stats, and whatever else. I mean, in a certain game that may or may not have inspired the Pokémon towers of this fic, you can learn egg moves by watching other pokémon do them (as long as they're in the same pokémon tower as you).

So yeah... let's not be too literal about game mechanics, eh? XP

By the way, I've noticed that a lot of fics these days aren't getting the reviewing love they deserve. So to help people along, and hopefully give you something cool to read, I've decided to do some fic promoting!

I've already started doing it in Questing For Comrades (cough which you should also read cough), but I thought I'd explain myself a little before doing it here, too.

Ayway, without further ado... here's the one for this chapter!

**Today's shameless promotion:**[The Ember and the Spark](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13524185/1/The-Ember-and-the-Spark)

**Author:** [bc414](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7050218/bc414)

**Universe:** Medieval times

**Main species:** A vulpix and a shinx

**Summary:** Princess Valerie from the Kingdom of Payr is kidnapped, along with her best friend, Shane, a dutiful squire of humble origins. As the two find their way back to their castle, Valerie recalls the good old days of growing up with Shane and contemplates the responsibilities and sacrifices that she must make in the future as a princess.

**Romance:** Things get rocky for them, but mostly very yes!

**Wackiness:** Fairly grounded!

**Lewdness:** Not very much, though recent chapters make me wonder!

**Action:** Very yes! (Uses traditional pokémon moves with different strategies!)

**Grittiness:** A bit! (Death may be possible!)

**Length:** Rather long! (Their journey has pretty much just begun!)

It's a good little fic, with some really relatable characters, so I'd recommend it. Admittedly, at a glance, it looks like a fic heavily inspired by PokéMaster64's series, Bandits of the Forest... but bc414 _did_ tell me that it was a plot he'd been planning for ages. So I guess it's just a very popular topic to cover, eh? XD

Even with that in mind, it takes a very different approach to BotF, so I can hardly call it a similar fic!

* * *

**Mistakes of the day:** **#1:** 'She'd heard that those turned to stone by the Dark **Mater** incident had _literally_ been turned to stone.'

(I wouldn't want to be imprisoned by someone with _that_ kind of name…)

**#2:** 'Buneary's legs were pulled out from under her and she **crashed** to the floor. She **crashed** to the floor. " _Aha!_ " Marowisp yelled as she painfully **crashed** to the floor.'

(While fixing the sentence to be more snappy, I sort of murdered ol' Wallfower, here. Whoops.)

**#3:** 'he had her locked in place, unable to even **more** her arms.'

(Buneary wants to be the next Octillery, apparently. Even though she technically has an extra two arms on her head.)

**#4:** 'How he was so strong, despite **bing** '

(Everyone's thoughts on Google.)

**#5:** 'She powered up her ears with Dizzy Punch, bent them backwards and smashed him in **the back of his hard** **head** again and again.'

(... How!? Is she made of rubber, or what? Should I ship her with Rubberchu, from J'LoBuizel's Mortal Kombat fic?)

**#6:** 'It came back like a **boomarang** and slammed into the back of Yamask's'

(Not really much of an amusing mistake, but spelling this wrong always reminds me of the time I screwed up horribly on that one Warioware minigame, which asks you to spell things correctly in an RPG setting, or face hot death. You'd think I'd learn to spell the bloody word correctly after that, but here we are.)

**#7:** 'Not only was he a _jerk,_ but thanks to _him,_ Corsola's and Yamask's **memoires** of this day were going to involve her being half-naked.'

(Memoires? Like a journal? 'Dear diary... today, I got to see bunny boobies! Hooray! They were a bit small, though.')

**#8:** 'The memory made her face burn **ever more**.'

(It was just _that_ embarrassing, I guess.)

**#9: 'Mariowisp** didn't stop. "You wanna faint, too? Well, my _pleasure!_ "'

(*Mario dons the boo costume from Galaxy and becomes Mariowisp* "Wahoo! I'm-a gonna make you faint! Let's-a go!" *Jumps on Buneary, Yamask and Corsola, getting some mad points before Bowser cucks him again*)

**#10:** **'ho** was hunched over.'

(Oh my…!)

**#11:** 'Still covering herself, Buneary lunged toward **Mrowispand** and screamed,'

(I'd scream, too, if this abomination came towards me. What even happened!?)

**#12:** 'She took a deep breath and, with a really deep breath, jumped forwards to continue.'

(I keep making them take too many deep breaths, for some reason. It'll be like what happens if you try to overinflate a balloon and then accidentally let all the air back into your squishy lungs.)

**#13:** 'Buneary sat on top of Corsola, who was **floating** in front of Snorlax's petrified body.'

(I didn't note her being in any water, so I guess Corsola's just… floating. XD Is she that weird ghost-type variant, now? Or rather… a corsoula? (Thank ravengal for that name, lol))

**#14:** " **S'what what** my bro, Kakuna, says, anyway."

(Is he rapping, or what?)

**#15:** 'All with Yamask on Buneary's head, holding **into** her upright ear for support.'

(Ouch! I guess that's one way to stay stable! O,o)

**#16:** 'She held **arms** against her chest.'

(Putting Min Min into Smash Brothers had been a good idea, it seems! I wonder how much that game sold since Ramen Woman came to Smash?)

**#17:** 'Octillery asked, staring looking his **paws** over'

(Lol, imagine an octillery with furry arms instead of tentacles. Freaky! No wonder he's staring _and_ looking at them.)

**#18:** 'While carefully traversing an especially soggy corridor, filled with **puzzles** ,'

(Not sure how I managed _this_ one... XD Guess we'd better get Puzzle Solver Donphan on the scene, eh?)

**#19:** '"Oh... you'll join us, won't you, **Corsola**?" Corsola asked, sounding worried.'

(Oh, God, she's lost it. Or maybe she's talking to that corsola from the previous chapter?)

**#20:** "I-I didn't! This was the way to where the floor started! **Hoe** "

(Corsola really doesn't like Octillery, clearly!)

**#21:** "Sure does! **Some** aboard!" Corsola chimed.

(Sorry, Octillery. Not enough room at the inn, it seems.)

* * *

Welp, that wraps that up! Please review/favourite/follow, make sure you read [Questing For Comrades](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27378595/chapters/66906445), hope you enjoy your day, and tata for now! c: *Deep inhale*


	6. The Sword and Shield

**VGS2's sausage notes:** Hello, everyone! Time for some more dungeon action! :P

... Uh, for real this time. :s To be honest, the last time I updated this fic was to take advantage of the site not actually bothering to post up anybody's new chapters, though still putting them at the top of the list of updated fics.

The reason for my little stunt was to make sure that people knew I was on AO3 (the fanfiction website where everyone likes plastering silly tags onto their fics, for some reason) and, admittedly, for more attention on this fic, because even _I'm_ not above whoring myself out for views, I won't lie. XP

If nothing else, when the site fixed itself, you got to see me derp and say in the fake chapter: "If you want more Mystery Dungeon action, then go and read Questing For Respect!" when I meant to say 'Questing For Comrades', instead. So yeah, basically, I told everyone to go and read the fic they were already reading, and not my other fic, instead. I'm not a smart man... XD

Ah, on that note, you should go and read **Questing For Comrades**! It has three fun one-shot chapters for you to read right now! Such as...

1\. A little Donphan backstory and lore, with an embarrassing ending!

2\. An extended fight with Marowisp where he gets a _very_ special surprise in the end!

3\. Four new characters on one spiky mountain. One of whom is very important indeed!

I hope you get tempted! :D For now, though, I've rambled enough. Enjoy the chappie!

(Just so you remember... last time, Buneary and the gang were surprised by a huge explosion that blew down a wall and donked her on the head with a rock, knocking her out. RIP)

* * *

* * *

A murky, blurry void was the first thing to greet Buneary as she came to. Huh...?

Looking around, she saw bright, colorful flashes of light randomly blinking in and out of her vision. Soft whirring and humming assailed her ears from all sorts of different directions. The cold, hard feeling of metal could be felt under her feet.

Blinking, she tried to make out where she was. No matter what, though, everything remained blurry at best. Was she really _that_ out of it?

She saw a tall figure of several plain colors in front of her, equally as hazy as its surroundings. It kept saying something in a constant mumble, but she couldn't understand. Even with her good hearing. She tried to take a step toward it, but she couldn't move her feet.

She began to feel nervous. No, really, what was going on?

The figure suddenly went quiet and reached forwards, startling her. It touched the top of her head with an appendage. It was warm and strangely comforting.

"...nywa... I've ra... enough, haven't...? S...r...!" the figure said, its voice echoing through her ears. It was annoyingly incomprehensible. "Don't... about a... Once everything... over, you're goi...g to ...ng... Just... gotta..." The rest of its speech came out as pure gibberish Buneary couldn't understand at all.

She was so confused. Had she officially lost her mind!?

Strange metal jaws began to move in on her, just above her head. Her fear hit a fever pitch as they closed around her, trapping her in total darkness.

A horrible, harsh coldness suddenly came over her, chilling her to the bone. As her vision whitened out, however, the sensation faded away, replaced by a wondrous warmth...

* * *

Buneary blinked her eyes open. She gave a light shake of the head. Oh... that dream again. She'd been having it a lot, lately, but she still didn't get... it?

... Oohh, what was that wonderful warmth~?

She suddenly realized that she was sitting neck-deep in some lovely hot water, very similar to the hot spring in her old home. Unlike that one, though, this spring was just a hole in the floor, cut into a huge, perfect square and filled to the brim with hot, green water.

She couldn't stop herself from letting out a big sigh, eyes rolling into the back of her head as she leaned against the wall. Oh, goodness, that was heavenly...

Some laughter and chuckles rang out around her, snapping her out of her bliss. She looked around at her surroundings and immediately felt embarrassed at the several faces staring back at her.

Corsola - being one of them as she floated on the water - giggled. "You know, I kind of thought you'd do something like that," she chimed. "You're so precious, Buneary."

Buneary hid her face behind her paws. "W-Well... I... Ohh...!" she mumbled, mortified. Curse this lovely water...

"Glad you're liking the wonder tile, Miss," Snorlax said, sitting on the edge of the hot spring to dip his feet in. "Back when me and Donphan were in Wigglytuff's Guild, they were just healing panels to step on. These days, they actually turn into hot springs, of all things!"

"Huh, cool!" Yamask said, sitting in the water across from Buneary. She was relieved to see that he wasn't surrounded in those ghostly flames anymore. "Dungeons are so mysterious with this stuff."

"Damn right," Octillery added from beside him, partially submerged. His twisted, blue and white headband was on the floor behind him. "Man, wish all fuckin' traps were like this..."

"Um, y-yeah..." Buneary replied, thankful that the topic of her embarrassing herself seemed to have moved on. Letting down her paws, she leaned back into the wall of the wonder tile. It was strangely soft and cozy against the back of her head, pleasing her greatly. "Say, um... what was the deal with the explo-? _Eep!_ "

While looking around, she noticed with a start that she was sitting next to someone she'd never met. Someone who had its black and purple tassel-like arm wrapped around her while it lounged, its other arm around the back of its spiky head as it leaned back.

The long, metallic pokémon looked at her with its single, purple eye. Though it didn't have a mouth, she could sense its amusement. "Haha. Ciao, bella!" he said in a masculine and smooth, yet cheeky voice. "Finally noticed I'm here, eh?"

"... Y-Yes...?" she replied, nervous. "W-Who are...?"

Snorlax chuckled sheepishly. "Don't worry, I know him," he said. He brightened up. "In fact, he's the one we've been waiting for! The leader of Team Specter... Dynamite Aegislash!"

Aegislash chuckled. "Not as good an introduction as _my_ explosive entrance earlier, but yup. Here I am!" he said.

"Oh, um... h-hi!" Buneary replied, a little uncomfortable with the lack of personal space. "Umm... did _you_ cause that explosion?"

"And the cuts in the wall, too? Guilty as charged~ If you can't arrive with a flash of _pizazz,_ then what's the point of even showing up?" He laughed. "First time I've made someone faint while showing off, though. I guess I should count it as an achievement, shouldn't I?"

"Eheh, um, yeah..." she mumbled, holding back the urge to pout. Oh, for crying out loud, that made her feel so pathetic...

"That's... not the best thing to feel proud of, is it?" Yamask asked, cringing.

"Yeah, you bastard!" Octillery snapped. "You're lucky it was an accident, or I'd kill you dead!"

Aegislash laughed. "That so? Well, with what you did to Marowisp, I guess I'd better believe it, eh?"

Buneary grimaced while Yamask and Corsola chuckled awkwardly. Octillery nodded sharply with a huff.

"Er..." Snorlax asked, looking perplexed. "What was that, exactly?"

"Octillery just had a _bone_ to pick with my teammate, that's all," Aegislash replied, still amused. "Oh, and on that convenient little pun, better watch your backs. Quite literally, even, knowing Marowisp. He put the word 'spite' in the dictionary, so don't think he'll forget what you did anytime soon~ Haha!"

Buneary grimaced even more. "Oh, dear..." she murmured.

Snorlax scratched his head. "... Um, okay, then?" he said. Shrugging, he smiled. "Well, don't worry. Aegislash always reins him in, don't you?"

"Yup," Aegislash replied. "It's a fun challenge, keeping him from getting his scaly tail thrown in the slammer." He hummed out a chuckle. "I don't always succeed, though, so watch your backs...!"

Buneary frowned in worry. Oh, that couldn't be good...

Well... at least Aegislash would keep him from doing anything _too_ bad... right?

"Haha, and that's not even talking about Golurk," he continued. "You knocked him outta the sky while he was flying about, didn't'cha? That's what he said, anyway."

"I... I did?" she asked, staring at him with knitted brows.

"Apparently! Got him while flailing about in the air, from the sounds of things."

She stared at him, very much confused.

Aegislash chuckled again and continued. "Oh, you'll be in for a good time if you meet _him_ again."

Her worried frown came right back. _Ohhhh,_ but she didn't even _remember_ hitting him! Why would he think...?

... Wait. Unless it was while she was being launched through the air, by that gust trap...

* * *

_Buneary screamed as colors and shapes whizzed past her vision. **Aghhh, she was going to die!**_

_Pure adrenaline pumped through her veins and she went into a full on panic. She activated Dizzy Punch and Bounce to swing at the air with her ears and feet, desperate to stop herself._

_She sensed something huge and black flying near her. Frightened, she lashed at it with her foot. It grunted and fell, causing a humongous crash below._

* * *

Buneary made an 'O' shape with her mouth at the memory. Well, that explained things...

She felt a small spark of pride at being able to knock down such a behemoth of a pokémon. It was quickly squashed by the thought of having to fight the same behemoth later on, however.

... Oh, dear, oh, dear.

"Um, l-let's talk about something else, why don't we? H-Haha..." Corsola interjected with a smile that was visibly cracking.

Aegislash huffed in amusement. "Well, I was enjoying myself scaring the teddy bear over here, but sure, "

"T- _Teddy Bear?_ " Buneary spluttered. "You... mean _me?_ "

"'Course. I don't see any other teddies here, do you?"

A laugh escaped Corsola. "I don't think I see any at all. She's a rabbit, Aegislash!"

"Yeah! Like those old animal things, from the legends!" Yamask added. "People always draw them with big ears, and cute noses, and big feet, and... uh, things like that. Just like Buneary!"

Buneary smiled lightly. Cute? She liked hearing that. Not so much the 'big ears and feet' comments, though...

Snorlax let out a sigh, though with a small smile. "Nice try, but once Aegislash decides what your species is, that's pretty much what you'll be to him."

Aegislash snickered. "Right you are, Kitty. They might call you a bear, but that's not what _I_ see."

"Oh, what am _I?_ " Yamask asked, looking very curious.

"You know about hieroglyphics? You're the spitting image of those things! Not to mention your evolution's an ancient tomb-styled coffin, so..."

"Huh. Neat! ... I think."

"Do I even wanna _know_ what I look like?" Corsola asked jokingly.

"Heh, well, I'll tell you, either way," Aegislash retorted. "With four legs and two hands, I think you make a half-decent centaur!"

She tilted her head. "... Huh?"

"Ever heard of those fictional beasts, humans and horses? It's an _extra_ fictional beast that's half of each, just for the sake of it~"

"... Okay?" she replied, no less confused.

"Haha, yeah... fictional..." Snorlax mumbled.

" _Aghh_ , calling everyone weird shit's fuckin' weird and annoying!" Octillery said, gripping his head like he'd hurt it from thinking too hard. "Just call 'em what they friggin' are, so we can tell what you're going on about!"

"Oh, you're _way_ too serious!" Aegislash chastised. "You'll never have fun in life following rules and doing the same thing as everyone else, so I think I'll keep on keeping on, Cannon."

Octillery huffed. "That's friggin' weird-" His eyes flared up in extreme bewilderment. "... _Cannon!?_ The Hell's _that_ mean!? What's a 'cannon'!?"

"Ever watched a movie at the Meow Theater in Lively Town? You look like one of those cannons in Forest of the Bandits!"

"O-Oh, I watched that one with my team!" Yamask chimed. "Haha, I can kind of see it, now!"

Octillery calmed, though he still looked confused. "... Hah?" he asked.

Buneary tilted her head. Movie...? Theater...? She... didn't know what those were at all. She knew what cannons were, though, thanks to the fantasy books she'd read to her little brother back in the day. Were they related...?

Before she could ask, Aegislash ruffled the fluff on her rolled ear, surprising her. "Heh. Anyway, speaking of bears, you're carrying out a mission today, yeah, Teddy Bear?" he asked her.

"Um... y-yeah!" Buneary replied, nodding. "How'd you know?"

"We brought him up to speed while you were recovering," Snorlax explained.

"Ah, okay..."

"Cute," Aegislash said, sounding amused. "Well, color me curious! Take me with you down these last floors, won't'cha?"

Everyone made a sound of surprise.

"You too, Aegislash?" Corsola asked.

"Are you wanting to help us out?" Buneary asked happily.

"Nahhh, not especially," Aegislash replied, making her deflate in disappointment. "See, I'll do anything for a good laugh, and this is _far_ more fun than finding some silly dough seed. So I'll be coming with you to stir up trouble~"

"Sounds like you..." Snorlax mumbled. "Well... alright. We haven't adventured together since you were a... doublade, I don't think. Might be fun!"

"Gee, er, I-I dunno..." Yamask piped in. He reached for where his mask usually was, but - as Buneary just noticed - it was on the dry floor behind him. Noticing himself, the wisp just awkwardly stopped and carried on. "Um... no offense, but you're, um... your team's kind of... bad news."

Aegislash chuckled and shrugged. "And yet you haven't seen the _worst_ of it! Believe me!"

Yamask stared. "... Err..."

"Yeah, the dweeb's friggin' right!" Octillery added, earning some light protest from Yamask. "Why should we trust _you_ after the Hell you and your shitty team put us through? We don't _want_ any legenddamned worse!"

Aegislash laughed. "So serious, aren't you?" he teased before shrugging. "Well, our 'worst' won't be coming today, I'm afraid. I don't fancy my chances against Kitty, here, so he'll probably keep me in check."

"Quite the compliment, coming from you..." Snorlax mumbled with an exasperated smile.

Aegislash let go of Buneary's shoulder and suddenly leapt out of the water.

Yelping, she turned to look and saw him come down spinning toward the floor. Landing, he kept on spinning from momentum as he picked up a big, golden disc and attached it to his arm. It looked like a... shield, from those old fairytales about knights she would read to her brother at night.

In fact... as he stopped spinning to put a hand to his bladed hip, she noticed that he looked like a sword from those very same stories!

She stared in awe. Wow, a living sword with a shield! How amazing~

"On that note, let's move out," he said. He yawned with his shielded hand. "Sitting around for so long's made me bored witless, so it's time to fix that, wouldn't you say~?"

"Oh... so hot tub time's over, then?" Corsola said dejectedly. "This was so lovely, too."

"Yeah... b-but I guess we should get going anyway, huh? " Yamask said with a sigh. He floated out of the water and went towards his mask on dry land. "If my teammates wake up before I get back, I'll get an earful! And didn't you say Whimsicott's waiting for you, too?"

"Hmm, no doubts about it, I guess... She hates being late, so I've gotta be back before _she_ is, or she'll grumble. And it's been over an hour already, so..."

"Ey, same for my team," Octillery added. "Later, we're s'posed to be goin' after some outlaw bidoof douche, who's been choppin' down trees outside Apple Woods."

"But... they'll grow back quickly because of the dungeon, won't they?" Buneary asked.

Octillery jumped out of the water to land on the dry land. "Not _out_ of it, they won't!" He slapped a tentacle against the floor in irritation. " _Aghh!_ I fuckin' hate outlaws! I'll kill her!"

She almost wanted to suggest that the bidoof might not have known any better... but, knowing Octillery, it might have just riled him up, so she decided to keep it to herself.

Corsola climbed out of the wonderspring, as Buneary decided to call it. "It's settled, then, isn't it? The adventure continues~!" the coral sang.

"Yeah~" Buneary replied, jumping out of the water. On dry land, she noticed her small bag of money and... a lump of clear glass?

... Wait, no, even better! It looked like some kind of crystal! In fact, it was exactly like the ruby she had in her fluff, but clear!

She smiled gleefully and picked it up. "Ooh! _Ooh~!_ I found something really nice earlier, I just remembered!" she said, deciding to show them off.

Everyone's attentions turned towards her.

"Oh, what's that?" Yamask asked, eyes lighting up in curiosity.

Faltering lightly at all the attention, Buneary swallowed and nodded. "Um, y-yeah!" she replied, shuffling through the poofy part of her fluff. After several seconds of finding nothing, she grew concerned. Odd... Because her fluff was short, it wasn't like she had many places for her ruby to hide away. "Er... it's here somewhere, anyway..."

"Oh no, did you lose it?" Corsola asked.

Buneary frowned worriedly. "Umm... I-I hope not..."

"I'll help you look if you want!" Yamask suggested eagerly. "It's in your fluff, right? So I just have to look in there, and... uh..." He stopped, as if realizing what he'd just said. His face went horribly red. "... N-Never mind!"

Corsola and Aegislash reacted with laughter. Snorlax and Octillery, instead, just reacted with bemusement.

Buneary chuckled sheepishly, face going warm from second-hand embarrassment. "... It's better than what you offered before, but... maybe not this time," she replied, offering him a small grin.

"Y-Yeah...!" Yamask replied, holding his mask to his face to cover his blush.

"Legenddamn, you're a mess, man!" Octillery shouted, sounding more baffled than annoyed. "Do ya even _think_ before you speak?"

"... S-Sometimes!" Yamask replied. "I-I dunno, it just slips out!"

"Oh, Yamask, you're so special," Corsola said, calming down from her giggles. "I think I'm starting to see why everyone always calls you _Calamity_ Yamask."

Buneary looked at her in shock. "What? Oh, that's a bit much, isn't it?" she asked.

"No, it isn't... Ugh, but I wish it was!" Yamask grumbled.

Buneary offered him an apologetic frown. Poor Yamask. Well, at least it sounded cool.

"You recruit 'em quirkier every year, Kitty," Aegislash chuckled.

Snorlax sighed with an exasperated smile. "... You're not wrong." He turned towards Buneary, smile going natural. "Anyway, no worries, miss! The thing you're probably looking for is that spent gem you're holding. After all, _that_ came out of your fluff."

Buneary stared at him. She blinked and looked at the crystal in her paw. After a second she shook her head. "N-No, that's not..." She held up the crystal, looking at it in disbelief. "I mean... the thing I found was a beautiful ruby! This isn't..."

A look of realization came over Snorlax before he looked sympathetic. "Ohh... No, sorry, miss, but, um... that wasn't a ruby. I think you picked up one of those 'boost gems,' and, er... used it."

"... Huh?" she replied, looking at it in worry. "U-Used it?"

"Oh, I know about those things!" Yamask piped in. "While you're holding it, it boosts an attack of the same type as... well, _it!_ It works the same way as scarves and stuff like that do!"

"Does that make it lose its color?" Corsola asked, tilting her head.

"Uh... yeah..." Yamask mumbled, sounding somewhat apprehensive.

"Oh dear..." Corsola said sadly. "Well, the mystery's solved, I guess. Sorry, Buneary..."

Buneary's ears dipped. "... Oh..." she mumbled. So _that's_ why her Reversal had been so powerful, even though she hadn't been panicking, or doing too badly for injuries. It must've been a fighting-type gem. "... Oh, fudge."

She stared at the clear gem in extreme disappointment. And here she'd thought she'd found something amazing and cool. Now, because of her, it didn't look as nice, anymore. Phooey...

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Octillery shouted. "This is why I hate consumo... er, consummybal _shit_! Always way too good to friggin' use!"

"Yeah..." Buneary mumbled. Her eyes went wide open. "... Wait... b-but if it's like scarves, well... I can't _use_ scarves, because of Klutz!"

"Um..." Yamask started. Looking at him, she saw him fiddling with his mask awkwardly, "I think my ability, Mummy, was affecting you, right? It stops abilities when that happens... and you did that really awesome attacking combo while the bandages were still on you, so..."

Buneary blinked. She sighed. And here she'd thought she'd actually overcome her cruddy ability somehow. "Ah... okay," she mumbled.

Aegislash laughed and clapped. "All of you sure know how to make an excellent drama theater, don't you? Maybe I should've brought one of those video cameras," he joked.

"H-Hey, don't laugh when she's down," Snorlax chastised.

"Yeah, ya bastard!" Octillery added irritably. "Don't'cha care?"

The sword huffed and waved them off. "Oh, you're too serious." He gestured towards a corridor he was hovering near. "Oh well. Now that the case is closed, are we off? I'm just _itching_ to see my future rivals in action!"

"Urf... you haven't changed a bit, huh?" Snorlax sighed, to which the sword only shrugged playfully in response. Turning, the bear smiled at everyone else. "Well, er... maybe we'll find another gem as we go along? They're not all that rare, so you never know!"

"Maybe..." Buneary mumbled, dejectedly looking at her transparent gem, now devoid of all its vibrancy. Well... it could be worse, she supposed. At least it hadn't shattered like orbs did, or anything like that. And it still looked sort of pretty.

Of all times for her ability to wear off, though. Tsk...

* * *

Buneary and the rest of her friends continued travelling through the moist caves of the dungeon, all their belongings on hand. Though the rabbit had given her spent gem and bag of money to Snorlax for safe keeping.

Because they hadn't encountered any wild pokémon in a while, their trek was mostly spent quietly moving through the many tunnels of the bluff, watching their footing for puddles and large ponds.

Because Aegislash was hovering close by, Buneary saw him apathetically playing with a pretty bangle on his wrist, instead of watching out for hazards and wild pokémon.

On seeing it, Buneary decided to break the silence with some conversation. "Th-That's, um... a very nice piece of jewelry you have there, Aegislash!" she praised with a smile.

"Hm? This thing?" he asked, holding it up. It was blue with golden highlights around the edges. It also had lots of empty indents, which looked like they used to have something in them. "Well, don't get too excited. It's just a looplet. And a plain one, at that. So nothing crazy."

"Oh... well... i-it's still pretty!"

"Oh, I know what that is!" Yamask chimed, floating closer to him to have a look. "My uncle from Lively Town used to give them away for..." He swallowed hard, "... g-gold bars. Ugh..."

"Your uncle, huh?" Aegislash huffed amusedly. "Well, you're absolutely right! He's probably the one who gave me _mine_ for his precious 'sparklies'."

Yamask smiled sheepishly. "Eheh. Sounds about right..."

Buneary didn't really know what they were talking about, but it sounded so charming that she couldn't help but grin happily.

"What do looplets _do?_ " Corsola asked. "Are they like scarves, but much nicer on the eyes?"

"Si, amiga, you got it!" Aegislash replied. Holding it up, he indicated towards the indents. "They're weaker than scarves... especially this one that does jack, but... hmm..." He looked around. Eyeing up the wall behind Snorlax, his eye seemed to light up in a grin, and the blade making up his body glowed green. "Hey, Kitty, think fast!"

"H-Huh!?" Snorlax yelped.

The sword rapidly spun around to slice at the air, sending sharp green projectiles flying.

With a cry of surprise, Snorlax barely managed to twist around to avoid them as they flew past. Hitting the wall, they slashed it apart until a blue pebble flew out to land by Aegislash, who picked it up and presented it.

"Hey, what's the big idea!?" Octillery yelled, moving up to him. "You _tryin'_ to hit him!?"

Aegislash waved him off. "Oh, don't be so serious. If he couldn't dodge _that,_ I'd have questions on how he saved the world ten years ago, or whenever."

"That doesn't mean any-!"

Aegislash took hold of Octillery's tube-like mouth, stretched it and let go. It slapped the octopus in the face, making him swear loudly.

Snorlax sighed. "Tsk, it's just like when we started this guild, all over again..." he grumbled.

Buneary frowned awkwardly. Looking at the others, she saw Yamask and Corsola reacting just as sheepishly.

"Anyway, see this?" Aegislash replied, holding up the blue, egg-shaped pebble.

Buneary squinted. Actually... on closer inspection, it was transparent with a dark blue glow shining within.

"The fuck is _that?_ " Octillery snapped, grumpily rubbing his snout.

"An emera," Aegislash replied. He indicated towards one of the three indents on it. "You just slot 'em into one of these holes, then it'll do whatever it likes, depending on what emera it is. And if you have space for it, you can fit in as many as you like."

"So... like tiny scarves for your wrist!" Buneary said.

"Yup~"

"How'ja know what they all do?" Corsola asked.

"You don't. You shove it in, and hope for the best. If you don't like it, that's tough cookies, 'cos it ain't coming out. Even if it ruins your whole day, you're stuck with it, 'till ya lose it somehow."

"Yeesh... sounds kinda risky," Yamask said, eyeing up the emera with a concerned gaze.

"Heh, no worries. He's another fun thing to do with it." Aegislash held it aloft in the palm of his hand... and crushed it.

Everyone reacted with surprise. Octillery, especially.

"Y-You're wastin' it!? The Hell!?" he yelled.

Aegislash laughed. "Oh, chill. They're only good until you're ready to leave the dungeon. At that point, they'll be as useless as a magikarp."

"Oh... that right?" Octillery crossed his tentacles and huffed. "It's still a legenddamn waste."

"Is it?" the sword replied. He held up the shattered remains of the emera, revealing a pile of sparkling blue dust. Holding it in front of his face, he - despite having no mouth - blew the dust onto Octillery.

The octopus flailed around angrily. " _Aghh, you fuckin' son of a-_ " He paused. He seemed strangely blissful after. A blue tint even showed on his skin. "Ey, y'know, that feels real friggin' nice, actually."

"Oh, wow, it _does?_ " Yamask said, surprised.

"Yeah, it's, like... refreshin', or summit."

"Well, hope that solves the riddle," Aegislash replied. "Crush 'em, then use 'em to have a good time."

"... It's not a drug, is it?" Corsola asked, sounding both concerned and intrigued.

He laughed again. "Why, were you hoping?"

Her eyes widened. "Uh, n-no! I'm just saying what I heard, y'know?" she replied, smiling sheepishly.

"Haha, sure, sure. Anyway, it's just a power boost that changes with color." He turned towards Octillery, whose skin was still shimmering blue. "Yo, Cannon, brace up!"

Octillery didn't immediately react until Aegislash held a glowing hand towards him. "Aww _shit,_ what're you doin' now-!?" he began.

A destructive-looking beam of gray energy fired out of his hand, completely overpowering the octopus.

Buneary and Snorlax called out his name in surprise. However, instead of screams of pain, Buneary could only hear pained grunting come from the octopus, up until the attack dissipated. Even stranger, once she could see past the bright energy, she noticed that he looked mostly fine, even with smoke pouring off him.

"Voila~" Aegislash chimed. He tenderly rubbed his hand, which was glowing red. "If it weren't for that emera, you wouldn't be sitting pretty right now, no doubt for sure."

"Ohh, did you have to use poor Octillery to demonstrate, though?" Buneary whined, looking at the man in worry.

"Yeah, you bastard!" Octillery yelled. The blue tint surrounding him faded away, though his face was reddened from anger, instead. "If you attack one of us again, I'll friggin' _kill_ ya!"

"Haha, noted!" Aegislash replied unapologetically.

"I wish this wasn't as nostalgic as it is..." Snorlax sighed. He frowned. "Anyway, cut it out, you. If you keep going on, you'll scare Buneary away, for sure."

The rabbit let out a small huff of air from her nostrils. She wasn't _that_ easy to scare off...

Oh well. While she disapproved of his teaching methods... she would make sure to take note of the whole business with emeras. Though... if they required something that worked like a scarf, would she even be able to use them?

She frowned lightly. A disheartening thought...

"Tsk, so serious!" Aegislash replied to Snorlax. He stretched out his arms, causing an audible crack from each of them. "Well, either way, sensei's done preaching." He stuck a thumb at Snorlax. "If you want more lectures, talk to Principal Kitty."

"Hey, I don't know anything about emeras," the bear argued, his frown becoming an awkward one. "They only started popping up all around the world from the Water Continent last year, so anything you say is all news to me..."

"Reminds me of how you had no idea of what a V-wave was," the sword teased with a chuckle.

"You didn't?" Yamask asked. "But they're all over the place, now! Randomly popping about in dungeons whenever they like, instead of just being this weather... thing!"

Snorlax embarrassedly scratched the side of his head. "... I've never cared much for the news, gimmie a break," he mumbled.

Huh. Buneary remembered V-waves from her book, Gates To Infinity. Mysterious energy that would coat the Mist Continent. Changing like the weather, they would become a different type of V-wave each day, making certain types of pokémon and moves stronger, depending on what the V-wave of the day was.

To be honest, she mostly remembered them because of the eccentric pokémon from Paradise called V-Wheel Victini. In the book, he was obsessed with a game involving spinning his V-Wheel. If someone won, Victini would change the day's V-wave into a type of the winner's choosing.

The whole thing sounded so cool! Sadly, though, the book also mentioned that Victini'd had to give up his job at some point, because V-waves worked differently now. Only appearing when they felt like showing up in dungeons, instead of affecting all the continent's dungeons at once. It sure was a pity for Victini, poor guy...

* * *

Buneary and her friends continued their travels since Aegislash's little demonstration. They hadn't encountered any wild pokémon in a while, so they'd taken the time to talk about how the adventure had been going so far.

After Buneary and Corsola had mentioned their time in the Water Rock Gang's monster house, Aegislash had been quick to tell them, with great amusement, that the orb Buneary had used wouldn't have just laid down one trap... but several all around the room.

Corsola had laughed it off, but Buneary was greatly disturbed that they could have stepped on another trap at a moment's notice. She had to remember that orb effects covered a big area, unlike wands, which she assumed would just hit one thing, from her earlier 'use' of one.

As the topic of the pokémon tower came up, Aegislash piped in with a surprising comment. "Stacking on top of each other to combine your moves, eh...?" he asked, using a finger to scratch his, um... chin?

"Yup! Unbelievable, isn't it~?" Corsola chimed.

"It totally works, though!" Yamask added excitedly. "And it's _so_ cool!"

Buneary's face warmed from bashfulness. "It's, um... it's just something I learned from someone else," she said.

"Heh, that so...? Well, color me curious!" Aegislash said. "Show me, next enemy that pops up for a fight."

She smiled. "Oh, okay!" She turned to the others. "Um, if everyone's okay with it...?"

"You bet'cha~!" Corsola responded, hopping up and down happily.

"Uh, s-sure!" Yamask replied.

Octillery shrugged. "Fuckin' sucks for whatever comes up next, but sure, whatever," he added, moving over to Corsola, likely ready to get on top.

"Thanks, guys~" Buneary chimed in appreciation.

* * *

With Yamask on her head, and while standing atop Octillery - who was on top of Corsola, himself - Buneary kept a keen eye out for a wild pokémon to fight. A hostile one, anyway.

While they hadn't had much so far, she had no doubt in her mind that their luck was going to change, soon. It was sort of sad that wild pokémon were always so quick to start some conflict, but at least it made seeking out fights easy, when necessary.

While glancing into a particularly wide corridor as they passed it, her eyes lit up when she spotted a lileep.

Ooh, this was promising! "H-Hey there!" she called out, failing to avoid giving it a friendly wave, even though she wanted to fight it.

Everyone turned to face it, including Snorlax and Aegislash as they came up from behind.

As the lileep looked at the group, its eyes widened slightly in what looked like... recognition? "Oh... hey, it's you guys," it said in an oddly familiar, monotonous voice. It frowned lightly. "Finally, I've been searching ages. You still owe me food, so hand it over."

Buneary frowned in concern. Oh no... she recognized this pokémon, now. The one they'd encountered during the chaos involving the confusion wand.

"... Who the fuck is that?" Octillery asked. "D'you know him?"

"Um... not really," Corsola replied. "It sprayed Acid on me earlier, until Snorlax threw it."

"... Oh yeah. I wanted revenge on the fat, squinty one, too," the lileep said. "You owe me _double_ food, for cheating."

"... Huh?" Snorlax muttered. He stalled for a second until he clicked his claws. "Ah, I get it! Because I threw you, even with those Suction Cups of yours."

"Yep. Fat, squinty cheater."

Snorlax pulled a face. "... Hey..."

"... I don't remember any of that," Yamask muttered, sounding confused.

"You... wouldn't," Buneary muttered. She fidgeted from embarrassment. "Because you were hit by the... Yeah."

"... Oh yeah," he replied with an awkward chuckle, making her fidget harder.

"You guys sure had a fun adventure before you met me, eh?" Aegislash said. He yawned exaggeratedly. "Anyway, all this serious talk's making the day drag. Let's see some arms getting twisted, already, why don't we?"

"Yeah, let's get this over with..." the lileep grumbled.

"Uh, y-yeah!" Yamask replied quickly. He held out his hands, causing a frosty mist to envelop them until icicles emerged, much like the ones Corsola was fond of using. They fired at the lileep in a steady stream.

Following his lead, Octillery fired out rings of darkness from his mouth. They zipped forwards faster than when Yamask had used the same attack.

The lileep fired a large jet of white water out of his mouth, intercepting the incoming attack. The projectiles were kept at bay until they dissipated, leaving the water to head straight for the tower.

Buneary yelped and braced herself when she saw it coming _her_ way. It slammed into her with such force that she nearly went flying back, but she stood firm. Even as it subsided, her fresh injuries began to sting horribly. Ouch...

While spitting out water that had gotten into her mouth, she noticed that it tasted kid of salty, like seawater. Was it that move, Brine?

"That all?" the lileep asked as the last of his attack left his mouth. "Guess it's my turn, then." He held up an orb Buneary hadn't noticed until now. It let off a bright light.

"W-Wonder orb! Uh oh!" Yamask shouted. He quickly fired more icicles at the lileep.

The icicles hit the lileep and passed through, shattering against the ground behind him as he disappeared into thin air.

Dozens of lileeps suddenly appeared in the large corridor, all facing the team with a frown.

Everyone reacted with surprise.

"M-Monster house!?" Buneary cried, rattled. Oh no, oh no, oh no...!

"W-Whoa, cool it, Buneary!" Yamask yelped as the tower began to wobble. "If you freak out, we'll fall over!"

She shook her head and tried to calm down. The tower became stable again. "Um... s-sorry," she replied, embarrassed.

"Haha, oh, this got more exciting than I thought it would!" Aegislash said, clapping gleefully. "How will our heroes cope?"

"Oh, _shut up,_ this is nothing!" Octillery snapped. He inhaled deeply and, after a pause, fired out a large icicle.

While flying through the air, the icicle split off into lots of fragments, which flew into many of the lileeps. As they were hit, they, too, disintegrated.

"Ah, it used an evasion orb!" Snorlax piped in. "Watch out for those fake clones!"

Buneary's eyes widened. Fake clones? Why, that reminded her of Double Team! Oh, she wasn't a fan of that move at _all._

"Well, whatever, just attack 'em _all!_ " Octillery yelled, choosing to fire more icicles afterwards.

"A-Attacking!" Corsola said. She murmured in thought for a short while before unleashing a barrage of large seeds. They flew in a general direction, scattering as they went.

Yamask joined in by firing off smaller seeds of his own from his hands, though in a more concentrated pattern than Corsola was.

The attacks continually pelted the lileep clones, causing them to dissipate one after the other. Before they could all be destroyed, however, some of the clones started spraying pressurized mud at them.

As muck sprayed all around them inaccurately, Buneary steadied herself, expecting Corsola to start dodging. When they didn't move, Buneary worriedly looked down and noticed the coral frantically looking about at all the incoming projectiles, clearly in a panic.

Uh oh. "C-Corsola, they're not all real!" Buneary cried out.

"O-Oh, well, w-which ones _are_ real!?" Corsola responded worriedly. Her panicking made the tower feel unsteady, which wasn't good for business.

"Dunno, but _move,_ woman!" Octillery yelled. "We're-!"

One of the mud jets hit Corsola. It passed through harmlessly, clearly being a fake, but it still spooked Corsola enough to make her leap a foot in the air from surprise.

Buneary felt herself tumble off Octillery and crack her head against the floor. _Owww...!_

Although dazed, she picked herself up and quickly looked around. There were still a dozen or so lileeps, all staring intently. Yamask was flat on his front, seeming just as dazed. Corsola had landed safely, and Octillery was on top of her, tentacles stuck to her sides.

Corsola looked at Buneary and Yamask with a hand to her mouth in shock. "Umm... whoops," she mumbled.

"Damn right, _'whoops!'_ " Octillery yelled. When Corsola squealed in fright, he sighed heavily and shook his head. "N-No, it's fine, never mind!"

"Y-Yeah, it's good!" Yamask added. "Um... b-but what now?"

"Uh..." Buneary started. A spray of mud hit her square in the chest, knocking the wind out of her as she went flying. She smashed into Snorlax's bag and carried on, accidentally taking it with her. She smacked against a wall and slid down it to land on her bottom.

She groaned. The bag had wrapped around her and cushioned her crash, but everything still ached horribly. Ughh...

Pulling part of the bag off her face, Buneary saw Snorlax looking between her and the others sheepishly. Aegislash just had his arms around the back of the hilt that made up his head, lounging in mid-air.

"Umm... you know, if you need a hand, I won't judge," Snorlax offered. "Don't be afraid to ask!"

"We're fine!" Octillery replied, still riding on Corsola as she ran around the wide corridor, dodging mud. A click suddenly rang out, and a pitch black glow appeared beneath them. "We're- _Shit!_ " he shouted, eyes widening in shock.

Yamask, who was flying through the air, gasped. "Ohhh shoot! Trap! W-Watch out!" he shouted.

Sure enough, Octillery began to glow black and shrink. Oddly, though, nothing happened to Corsola, even as she looked down at the ground in horror.

Even the lileep illusions had stopped shooting mud jets, seemingly curious as to what was going on.

Seconds later, the glow dispersed, and a blue fish appeared where Octillery had been.

Buneary's eyes widened. "W-Where's Octillery!?" she cried out.

"Uh... I think that _is_ Octillery!" Yamask replied.

Buneary blinked and stared at the fish. ... He was?

"The Hell d'you mean!?" Octillery yelled, sounding very worried and a fair bit ticked off. "Where's my tentacles!? Where-" He tumbled off Corsola with a yelp.

"Um... s-sorry, Octillery!" Corsola said, looking extremely sheepish. She murmured in thought. "Um... I mean... Remoraid?"

The octopus-turned-fish looked around at his body, eyes widening. "Awww _shit,_ " he snapped. His voice had the same high, yet masculine and gravelly pitch to it, though it was a little strange, now, coming from his 'new', smaller body.

"Wow, so they have devolution traps now..." Snorlax said in amazement.

Octillery... er, or rather, Remoraid began to flop around angrily. " _Damnit!_ I fucking thought I was _through_ being a fucking fish!"

Yamask snorted out a laugh. When Remoraid shot him a look, he tried to stop. "Um... sorry," he apologized, covering his mouth.

Aegislash didn't offer any comments on the situation... but by the way he was pulling gummis out of his bag to eat them while chuckling, Buneary imagined he was enjoying things a bit _too_ much.

"You guys are pretty bad at this, huh?" the lileep said. Him and all of his clones spoke at once, so Buneary still couldn't easily tell which one was real. Drat. "Well, whatever makes things easier..." Him and his clones began to blast mud around again, forcing everyone to panickingly start dodging once more.

Buneary sighed. Ughh, this was going all wrong. Would they have to ask Snorlax for help, after all?

Brushing mud off her chest, she frowned determinedly. No, they could do this! She just needed to think!

She racked her brains for a solution. Something to help defeat the real lileep, and get past the clones...

Still in pain, she struggled to her feet. As she did, Snorlax's bag fell to the ground. Upon seeing it, something clicked in her mind. Wait, she had it!

She reached into the bag and pulled out the TM for Swift she'd earned from the zubat, earlier. She quickly held it to her forehead and closed her eyes to concentrate.

... Oh yeah, she already had four moves. To get a new one, she would have to replace either Dizzy Punch, Bounce, Endure, or Reversal.

She thought it over. She'd had the first two moves since birth, and they were very useful, unlike the other two birth moves she'd once had. She'd learned Reversal purely to help her brother learn it, but it was still useful, if not tiring.

Endure... She'd only learned that to avoid being a burden to her brother and her old squad mates by fainting all the time. But she was trying to improve and become independent, so...

She nodded to herself. Sure! She focused on that move as the TM glowed against her head. With a small flash, she could feel it. Swift was hers!

Dropping the TM back into the bag, she hopped to her feet and held a paw out. It glowed white. "Th-That's enough!" she cried out, firing off a flurry of stars.

They flew through the air, whizzing past her friends. Even though she'd only aimed at the lileep clones in general, all of her stars gravitated towards one in particular.

She and everyone else watched on in interest. While some of the stars missed, leaving large dents in the rocky floor, many of them pelted the lileep, eliciting yelps of pain.

"Oh, wow, that hurt it!" Corsola said in surprise.

"Th-That's the real one!" Yamask shouted. "Get'em!"

Everyone charged attacks and aimed for the lileep, who was looking around worriedly.

"... Aww shit," the lileep grumbled. "Welp, guess I tried."

He was blasted by Buneary's stars, Corsola's icicles, Yamask's dark ghostly rings and Octil- um, Remoraid's rapid-fire seeds. The combination of attacks launched him far down the corridor, into the darkness of the cave. All of his remaining clones faded away into nothing.

Stopping their attacks, everyone celebrated with a cheer.

"Thank _fuck_ for that!" Remoraid said, flopping around animatedly.

"Wow, you actually made it!" Snorlax chimed. "Well done, everyone!"

"It's all thanks to Buneary's awesome Swift!" Yamask said.

"Sure is!" Corsola praised. She hopped about while waving her arms. "Woo, woo, Buneary! _Wooo!_ "

Buneary bashfully fiddled with her paws. "Umm... thanks! Hee~" she said, smiling gleefully. She guessed getting rid of Endure for Swift had been a good idea after all!

"Haha, aww. Guess the chaos is over," Aegislash complained. He stretched. "Ah well. Congrats, rookies~"

Everyone moved over to stand near each other. As she went along, Buneary got a good look at the devolution trap. It depicted a distraught-looking eevee with various evolution stones flying out of it on wings. Strangely creative for a trap design. Had they gotten more detailed, lately?

Corsola giggled. "Well, here's hoping that's enough of a hint for it to stop pestering us for food," she joked.

"How'd you even know that bastard, anyway?" Remoraid asked. "Did he steal your food earlier, or somethin'?"

"Not really. It's just doing what wild pokémon love to do," Snorlax replied. "Stirring up trouble for no real reason."

"How'd you know it's a he, Remoraid?" Yamask asked. "It's, er... not all that obvious."

"Fuckin' beats me!" the fish replied. "Could be a freakin' genderless alien for all I know."

Buneary shook her head. "No, you're right, it's a he. I checked while Snorlax was throwing him!" she piped in cheerfully. She only realized what she had said when everyone gave her varying amounts of strange or amused looks. She began to sweat. "W-Wait, no..."

"Oh my, Buneary~" Corsola said, grinning cheekily. "Why were you looking down there, hmm~?"

"I-I... err..."

"Oh, Hell, don't tell me _you're_ perverted, too..." Remoraid grumbled.

"N-No, I was just curious! I promise!" Buneary pleaded.

"You, er... don't always look at a boy like that, do you?" Yamask asked awkwardly, holding his mask in a specific spot.

Buneary pulled her ears down to cover her face. "Noooo...!" she replied. Even though it was a little bit of a fib...

Corsola's chuckles turned somewhat sheepish. "Oh well, hey, it's okay. How else are you gonna tell what someone's gender is? Right, Buneary?" she asked.

Buneary let go of her ears to look at her, smiling in appreciation. "Y-Yeah!"

"How else? Their voice, for starters..." Snorlax joked. He rubbed the back of his head. "Er, unless they're a bit hard to tell like that lileep, I guess."

"Y-Yep! It's the best way to avoid any mistakes, absolutely! Even if it's, um... a bit awkward, haha~"

Yamask, Remoraid and Snorlax murmured along in agreement, apparently shrugging off the whole thing.

Buneary let out a breath. Oh, that'd been a close one. As if her reputation wasn't bad enough, she didn't need to be known as the village pervert, too...

Glancing at Corsola, she saw her wink at her with a cheeky grin, causing a spike of embarrassment to go through her. Well... at least not _everyone_ would think she was, anyway...

"Nice save," Aegislash said, seeming as amused as ever. "Well, if you don't mind me changing the topic... now I've seen that 'pokémon tower' of yours in action, even if just for a bit... I think you're onto a winner technique, Teddy. No doubt."

She beamed and asked, "Really?"

"Like I said, no doubt! I do have _one_ question about it, though. Just one."

She hopped up and down excitedly. Wow, she felt so special! "Yeah, ask away~"

He balanced his shield on one finger while looking at it, seemingly in thought. "So... how'd it happen?" He tossed the shield into the air, catching it on his finger after it flipped around. "Abandonment? Running away? Oh dear, or maybe... death?"

Buneary stopped hopping to stare at him, completely bewildered. "... Er... w-what?"

"Hey, you threatening her, or what?" Remoraid snapped, flopping closer to him. Clearly an act of intimidation, but it just looked adorable when he did it as he was.

" _Pfft!_ Not at all," Aegislash responded, putting his shield back on his arm. "Just wondering how she became an orphan, is all."

Buneary's blood instantly ran cold. "W-What...?" she muttered.

Everyone else looked between her and the sword in a big mix of either shock or confusion.

"An orphan!? R-Really?" Corsola yelped.

"What a weird thing to think," Yamask said, scratching the side of his head. "How do pokémon towers make you an orphan?"

"Heh, glad you asked~" Aegislash replied. "Ever heard of Wellware Island? An island somewhere in the seas of the Sand Continent. That's the _origin_ of the pokémon tower. Passed down by Elder Slowbro, or whatever it was."

"Umm... is that 'Elder Slowking'?" Snorlax asked. "Buneary mentioned someone like that, earlier."

Aegislash clicked his fingers. "Well, if _that's_ not the incriminating evidence I needed, then I don't know what else is!"

Buneary cringed. Yeesh, she'd forgotten she'd ever even mentioned anything regarding Slowking...

"What the Hell has any of that got to do with orphans?" Remoraid asked irritably. "Just get to the point!"

Aegislash huffed in amusement. "Serious as ever! Well, alright, fine. As the stories go, Wellware Island is an island of orphans! They're brought from the world over to live at one of its three villages, or at least in one of the nearby dungeons. Once they grow up, they can stay, leave, wander into the wilderness, or..." He huffed again, pointing a thumb at Buneary, "or I guess go looking for a guild to join, eh?"

Buneary recoiled. "Er... hmm..." she mumbled, really not sure what to say. She saw Corsola looking at her in shock, making her feel more awkward than ever.

"... Huh. The more you know," Snorlax said. His face went slightly red. "It's embarrassing how much I'm learning today, even with all my worldly travels. Eheh..."

"Wow, an island for the world's orphans..." Yamask started, looking starry-eyed, "that sounds like something you'd see in a story! Cool!"

"Yeah, it's all fictional and _bullshit!_ " Remoraid replied. "That damn Sneasel back at the guild's all too happy to tell us about his shitty life in the slums. Why didn't they take _him_ in!?"

Buneary looked at him in worried interest. The slums...?

"Guess they missed him," Aegislash said with a shrug. "I mean... it's only a two-person team of Elder Slowking and Orphan Saver Walrein. One looks after 'em, and the other fetches 'em over if they hear of any."

"W-Walrein?" Snorlax gasped. "Manaphy was taken under the wing of a walrein..."

"Haha, oh, you mean Gummi Manaphy? Yeah, if she's the one who used to be at the guild, then I guess you've learned more about her today, huh?"

Snorlax put his paws to his hips. "Huh... so _that's_ where she ended up. Can't believe I never asked..."

Aegislash hummed out a chuckle before shrugging exaggeratedly. "Anyway, now that you know what I'm going on about..." He looked at Buneary, "... gonna answer the question? Where's Mom and Dad, hmm?"

"... I... don't know," Buneary admitted, ear dipping. "My dad's... I don't know him. And my mom, Monferno... a-abandoned me and my little baby brother in Thirsty Desert..."

Everyone but Aegislash gave her wide-eyed stares.

"... I don't know where that is, but it sure didn't sound nice," Corsola said.

" _Heck_ no!" Yamask said in disbelief. He turned to Buneary with a sad frown. "Aww, why'd she abandon you? And _there_ of all places?"

Buneary rubbed her arm. "Some people were chasing her, so... after a while of taking us with her, she just... ditched us."

"Oh no..." Corsola mumbled, "just like that?"

"Freakin' Hell, why were they chasin' her?" Remoraid asked. "Better have been some _damn_ nasty people to make her do that! Dialga in fuckin' Hell..."

Buneary paused. "W-Well... I was only one year old, so I didn't pick up on why they'd chased her. When she left us behind, I just freaked out, grabbed my brother and took him through the dungeon..." she explained in a sort of half-truth.

"Aww, that's so sad..." Corsola said, to the others' agreement.

"It's okay..." Buneary replied with a small sigh. "At some point, Mr. Walrein found us and took us to Wildfire Village on that island, where Mr. Slowking looked after us. After my brother was old enough to look after himself, I came here to the Grass Continent. To Venture Village. Um... and to the guild."

"'Kay. Fun little tale," Aegislash said. He, somehow, clicked his tongue. "Still, so serious, too! Here I was hoping you would say you were one of those mysterious 'capsule children', or whatever they're called these days. Pity."

Her disappointment at him not seeming to care much was interrupted by confusion. Capsule children...?

"Oh, belt up, Aegislash," Snorlax replied, annoyed. He gave Buneary a sympathetic look. "Umm... sorry to hear about what happened, Miss."

"Thanks..." she said.

" _Aghh!_ Your mom's a _bitch!_ " Remoraid yelled. "I'll kill her!"

"Y-You don't have to do that..." Buneary replied sheepishly, though admittedly a little happy that he cared so much.

"Wow, though..." Yamask said. He clenched his fists, looking very inspired. "You must be made of some tough stuff to have gotten through _that_ place! Were you _really_ just a kid?"

She blinked. "W-Well... I suppose, but it's not _that_ impressive, is it?"

"Yeah! I only went there once, after meeting my team leader, but... jeez, it was _harsh!_ "

"I'd believe it," Snorlax interjected. "Deserts aren't exactly most people's favorite places to get lost in. And wild pokémon are sometimes even mean enough to beat up _kids._ " He smiled. "So you know what? Yamask's onto something! Well done, you!"

Buneary was overcome by a wave of pride she hadn't expected at all, but still greatly welcomed. She beamed back. "Th-Thanks!" She put her arms behind her back and kicked at the ground shyly. "I don't know if it's all _that_ well deserved, but..."

"I'll admit, Teddy, it's even gotten _my_ interest, now," Aegislash added. He floated past the wide corridor they'd fought the lileep in. "Show me more of that as we keep on, eh?"

"S-Sure!" she replied, following behind him. Everyone else followed suit, going to Aegislash's sides.

Hanging behind them, Buneary smiled lightly. Despite that, she couldn't help but sigh. It was nice that everyone was so supportive, but... it was still kind of depressing, remembering what her mother had done.

She'd really looked up to her, and yet... all the rabbit had to remember her by these days was one simple momento: an orange scrap of cloth she'd apparently used to wrap her egg up in, before she'd hatched.

She pulled a face. Honestly, on top of that, she'd wanted to avoid people learning about her past, and seeing her as nothing but a poor victim afterwards. Not to mention the _reason_ her mom had been chased was something the rabbit _definitely_ wanted to keep under wraps. Though it seemed _that_ was still a secret, thankfully.

"Hey... Buneary?" Corsola asked quietly, coming to her side.

Buneary started. "Oh! U-Um, hey, Corsola," she replied, trying to be just as quiet.

"Hey~ Uh... just by the by..." Corsola offered her a comforting smile. "It's okay if you're an orphan, too. It's all good and you're no less of a person. So don't be sad~"

Letting a quiet breath escape from her nose, Buneary smiled back at her. "Thanks. I appreciate-..." She blinked. Her eyes widened. "... Too? _You're_ an orphan, too?"

The coral gasped. "N-No, not me! I meant..." She gasped again. "Wait, I-I'm already saying _way_ too much!"

Buneary stared at her, confused. "... You are?"

"Definitely! 'Sides, she's not even an orphan anymore, because-" She clasped her hands over her mouth. "... _Crap._ "

A giggle escaped Buneary's lips. "I'm... not sure who you mean, but it's okay. I won't tell a single soul!"

Corsola smiled in appreciation, even through her obvious blush. "... Thanks. You're a pal."

Buneary gave her a smile in return. "You too~"

As she sped up to catch up with the others in front - with Corsola following suit - Buneary felt her mood improve. She'd expected the whole 'orphan' thing to paint a big sympathy target onto her back, or at the very least be extremely awkward. That didn't seem to be the case, though. In fact, she'd even learned that she wasn't the only one without parents in the guild!

She was certain, now. She'd definitely joined the perfect guild.

Well... saying that, she had yet to meet the other guild members. She hoped they were as friendly as the ones she'd met already, and weren't mean like Golurk or Marowisp. That would make things less than pleasant...

She huffed, mentally dispelling those thoughts. No, those were _bad_ thoughts! She was sure her guildmates would be lovely.

Only way to find out now, though, was to get through this dungeon!

With that in mind, she ventured forth with her friends.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

**Finished:** 05/12 (December)/2020

 **Word count:** 9,300

 **VGS2's sausage notes:** Drat. I wanted to finish up this adventure on this chapter, but I had a lot to say. Nothing new, I guess, eh? XP Ah well, for reals, the next chapter is the final one for Drenched Bluff! So look forward to it! :D

Incidentally, the Meow Theater is actually called 'Meowth Theater' in the actual game, but ehh, it's a bit boring, so screw it. You get a pun, instead. XP

On that note, there'll be a lot of artistic liberties for this thing when it comes to stuff from the Mystery Dungeon games, so if you see something that seems similar but has a different name or works/happens a bit differently, it's probably because of that.

 **Today's shameless promotion:** [The Queen Visits Alola](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13703841/1/The-Queen-Visits-Alola)

 **Author:** [Ri2](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/159540/Ri2)

 **Universe:** The game world (Mostly Kalos and Alola)

 **Main species:** Humans, Delphox

 **Summary:** Serena Yvonne Gabena, future Queen of Kalos, decides to visit the Alola Region. This has nothing to do with her finding out her childhood friend and crush is engaged. Nothing at all.

 **Romance:** A fair amount, though with a bit of cuckoldry, as the summary promises!

 **Wackiness:** Random! (When it wants to be wacky, it's extremely wacky! When it wants to be serious, it's equally as serious!)

 **Lewdness:** Nothing shown, but goddamn, the characters do like their gay lesbian sex!

 **Action:** A very big amount!

 **Grittiness:** When it wants to throw down some edge, it delivers!

 **Length:** Fairly long!

To be honest, I wondered for a while if I should give this fic a shout out, seeing as it's more of a human fic than a pokémon one... but aww, fak it, who cares? The pokémon are important characters, too, so I'll count it. XP

Not only is it action packed, dramatic and amusing, but it's also got some extremely grand and pretty descriptions for... well, pretty much everything. So it's worth reading for that! Its headcanons, however, are... pretty out there, I won't lie. XD

They're entertaining, though, and it certainly puts them to good use! So hey, if you're looking for a good imagination massager, I'd recommend this one, for sure! :P

* * *

 **Fun mistakes of the day:** **#1: '** A horrible, harsh coldness suddenly came **over, her** chilling her to the bone.'

(That feeling when the Winter Weather kicks in.)

 **#2: '** not **unlike** the hot spring in her old home. **Unlike** that one, though, this spring was just in a hole in the floor,.'

(So, uh... it _is_ unlike it? Hurp.)

 **#3:** 'She couldn't stop herself from **leetting** out a big sigh'

(Lol, reminds me of that weird slang word I've been seeing a lot lately. 'Yeet'. Sounds really soft for a throwing word, and also like something middle-aged men would say in an attempt to sound cool, but alright, then. XP "Wow, my main man! Look at this epic _yeet_ I did! I am _absolutely_ down with this _cool yeet_ ing _!_ Poggers, big chungus, absolute unit, _duuude!_ ")

 **#4:** "If you can't arrive with a flash of **pizzas,** then what's the point of even showing up?"

(Cowabunga! I wonder if a certain bad guy from Difference Maker would appreciate this mistake?)

 **#5:** 'Buneary made an 'O' shape with her **arms**...'

(Lol, what? Is she doing some sort of YMCA dance, or something?)

 **#6:** '... Oh, dear, **or,** dear.'

(Which dear is that, dear? Also, what's with all the commas?)

 **#7:** "Well, don't worry. Aegislash always **reigns** him in, don't you?"

(Lol, wrong 'reins'. Though they do say that Aegislashes are often taking control of kings, if I remember right. So it's still sort of appropriate!)

 **#8:** "Take me with you **own** these last floors, won't'cha?"

(Yeah, you _pwn_ those last few floors! 360⁰ no yeetscope! *Airhorn* *Obligatory Mountain Dew and Doritos .jpeg*)

 **#9:** "Sitting around for so long's made me **boring** "

(2020 in a nutshell.)

 **#10:** "I guess we should get **gong**..."

(Everybody's favourite instrument. Though using it in a cave filled with water is going to lead to bad acoustics. Silly Yamask...)

 **#11:** "And didn't you say Whimsicott's **be** waiting for you, too?"

(Yarrrr! Don't be keeping them waiting, matey!)

 **#12:** "Later, we're s'posed to be goin' after some outlaw douche, **whose** been choppin' down trees in Apple Woods."

(Whose 'been choppin' down trees in Apple Woods' are we talking about? Also, chopping wood inside a dungeon would be fine in this universe, seeing as dungeons repair themselves, so... not much of an outlaw, this one. XP)

 **#13:** "All of you sure know how to make an excellent drama **heater** , don't you?"

(Is it a dramatic heater, or is it a name for someone who stirs up drama? Or perhaps another name for a Soap Opera, which we Britbongs are obsessed with for some reason? Who knows?)

 **#14:** '"Stacking on top of each other to combine your moves, eh...?" he asked, scratching his, um...'

(Lol, I stopped writing to talk to ravengal at just the perfect time, leading to a very awkward moment all men can relate to. XP)

 **#15:** 'She had to remember that **orbs a big area,** '

(Imagine using a giant 'big area' sized orb.)

 **#16:** '"Dunno, but move woman!" Octillery yelled.'

(*Shoves the woman* There you go!)

 **#17:** **'The One** of the globs of mud reached them'

(What a grand way of speaking. Reminds me of a sort of pretentious fic I once read where the main character would respond to a sappy statement with "And I, you...")

 **#18:** '*While attacking Lileep with the others* Remoraid's steaming hot water.'

(Uh oh... Lileep's Hidden Ability is Storm Drain, so, uh... fak. XD On that note, always make sure you research a pokémon before you use them in a fic, kiddies!)

 **#19:** "After my brother was old enough to look after himself, **I came** "

(I can't believe I forgot to finish this sentence for ages. O,o Good job I found it before uploading, jeez. XD "I came when my brother beat the Elite 4!")

 **#20:** 'or at the very least be **extrememely** awkward.'

(Is that what happens when the memes are too dank? I think that calls for another nice round of yeeting! (Alright, I'll stop. ... Eventually. *Airhorn*))

* * *

And that's that! Thanks for reading, and thanks for the favourites, follows and reviews so far! :D Please keep 'em coming! I'll love you forever!

And if you have any criticisms, too, then feel free! :P (I say that knowing I'll regret it, but yeah, seriously, it's good to know people's gripes, so go ahead. Just no Farla-tier nitpicking, you. XP)

Hopefully, the next chapter won't take quite as long to make. This one just took a while because of various non-specific life things, and whatnot.

I'd joke and say laziness, too, but I've actually been working on this at least a little bit each day, so naww, mate. I'm dedicated to this shit, now! This and Comrades, which you should read! XP

Either way, thanks again, and tata for now! c:


	7. The Test

**VGS2's notes:** As you can tell by the chapter title... in this chappie, a strange character from Baldi's Basics Plus will be showing up to darken the whole floor when you don't look at him, all to piss everyone off! :D

... I'm kidding, of course. Honestly, I'll bet none of you even know that game got a full(ish) release recently, did you? XP Honestly, I'd recommend going and buying it, if you like a fun little game that's, as of now, constantly updating. It seems the creator wanted to take it beyond meme status and actually make it a fun time to remember!

Anyways, enjoy the final chapter of the bluff! Then we can finally do shit that's recognizable to long-time Questing For Respect™ fans! :P

 _Last time:_ A shitty sword showed up to annoy everyone. He's not very popular.

* * *

* * *

While continuing her travels through Drenched Bluff with the others, Buneary checked herself over as she walked. No thanks to that lileep from earlier, her front was all muddy and nasty. Thankfully, she was aching less than before, so it wasn't much of an issue.

Looking over at the others, she saw Corsola and Snorlax walking along, with Yamask and Aegislash floating nearby.

Also nearby was Remoraid, who was still a... well... a remoraid. Amazingly, although he'd shrunk from devolving, his bag and twisted headband still fit him perfectly as he flopped along the ground.

The rabbit had to do a double take. Surely, his gear had been bigger before...

She kept thinking about it up until Snorlax piped up. "Oh, here we are, the next floor!" he exclaimed, cheerfully pointing towards a large, distant hole in the floor.

Curiously, sunlight was also pouring out of it. A nice contrast to the general darkness of the caves, kept alight only by what seemed to be some kind of dungeon magic.

Buneary and Corsola cheered, while Yamask and Remoraid gave sighs of relief.

"Is the next floor the final one?" Buneary asked.

"Must be! There's sunlight!" Corsola replied.

"What? Why's there sunlight underground?" Yamask asked, scratching his head. "There shouldn't be any sunlight going _down,_ should there?"

"There would be if someone used Sunny Day..." Aegislash replied with an air of cheekiness to his voice.

"Well... most of the time there shouldn't be. Eheh."

"Actually, the next floor's the second-to-last one," Snorlax interjected. He grinned. "Buuut... there's an extra special surprise waiting on the way to floor six!"

Buneary clasped her paws together in excitement. "Ooh, really?" she asked.

"S'it that big hole in the wall where you see-?" Remoraid started, until he was shushed by Snorlax.

"H-Hey, now, you'll ruin the surprise!" he chastised. "Anyway, let's go!"

The gang eagerly went towards it. On looking down it, Buneary saw a long ramp to the next floor. Along the side of the wall was a huge, jagged gash with sunlight streaming through it. Wow. There really _was_ underground sunlight!?

Curious, Buneary bounded down the ramp in large hops, being followed by Corsola and Yamask. Briefly shielding their eyes from the unexpected brightness, they peered through the hole to a pretty sight.

Surrounded on all sides by a giant wall of naturally-formed rock pillars was a huge canyon, lit up by the rays of the morning sky above. At first glance, it appeared to be a huge grassy field, with pathways woven into it and massive boulders dotted around... but on closer inspection, it all seemed to actually be thick moss instead of grass.

Loud, rushing water could be heard coming from somewhere, like a waterfall was nearby. However, Buneary couldn't see anything like that, save for the many rivers and ponds throughout the mossy canyon. Maybe they were related in some way?

The rabbit watched the scene in front of her in wonder. Wow... who knew such a place could exist? A canyon filled with moss. It would sound ridiculous if she'd tried to tell someone, yet here it was.

"Gosh..." Yamask said, looking just as amazed. "I never knew _this_ place was in Drenched Bluff! I thought it was all just underground, or something!" He excitedly clenched his fists. "It's _so_ cool!"

"Yeah!" Buneary agreed. She tilted her head. "But... wait, if we're not underground, how are we... like... under sea level?"

"Out there's a... valley thing, or whatever," Remoraid said, coming closer. "So up the wall's all land, and stuff. So the place is just frickin' weird, pretty much."

"Ah, um... okay," she replied, sort of understanding what he meant. She smiled again while bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Well, either way, this place is lovely~!"

"Um, if you say so..." Corsola replied, rubbing her head in what seemed to be contemplation. "Just looks like a field of rocks and really soggy grass to me."

"Aww, I think it looks nice," Buneary replied, slightly dejected.

Smiling awkwardly, Corsola waved her hands reassuringly. "W-Well, whatever floats your lapras is fine by me. I'm just sayin'."

"Well, uh... all the same," Snorlax said, with a smile halfway between pleasant and awkward. He stopped beside the three pokémon, closely followed by the remaining two. "Here it is! The thing that gives the bluff its name!"

"... All the moss?" Corsola asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah! The-" He stalled with a bewildered frown. "What? N-No!"

"Because it's... deceptive?" Yamask asked.

Snorlax huffed out a laugh, but stopped himself with a shake of the head. "Uh, wrong sort of bluff."

Aegislash laughed. "I think you guys need to check out a dictionary sometime," he teased. "A bluff's a cliff overlooking some land or sea. This _drenched_ dungeon's inside a cliff that does exactly that. Put two and two together there, and what do you get?"

"Smartass," Remoraid snarked, earning an amused huff from the sword.

Buneary gasped in a eureka moment. "Is _that_ why they call it Sharpedo Bluff? The special cliff near Treasure Town?"

"Yeah, that's right!" Snorlax praised, sounding impressed. "Wow, Miss, for someone who apparently lived most their life on a secluded island, you sure know your geography, huh?"

She felt another blush coming on. "I... like to read a lot, and I..." she said, pausing for a while as she wondered if she should risk what she was going to say next. After deciding that she'd already hit max embarrassment earlier, it wouldn't hurt to try. "Umm... I saw it in your book, Time & Darkness. It said that was your old home, so..."

Snorlax's features lit up in what looked like pleased surprise. "Ooh, really? Haha, cool! You have great taste, then, Miss!" he praised.

She smiled, happy that he'd reacted positively. "Th-Thanks, Mr. Snorlax! It's what convinced me to join _this_ guild, out of all the options I had. Your story was so inspiring~"

"D'aww, you're gonna make me blush, saying things like that," he replied, rubbing the back of his head. As promised, a blush may have been forming on his face, too.

"Ha!" Aegislash said. "You say _I_ haven't changed, and yet you're still as up for a stroke of the ego as ever. "

Snorlax was _definitely_ blushing, now. "Well, y'know..."

After a light giggle at the banter, Corsola asked, "So you wrote an autobiography?"

"Um, no, not me. A butterfree came and asked me, Donphan and some other relevant people some questions, then made a story out of it."

Yamask gave an excited inhale. "Oh, the butterfree that was friends with, er... Peace Psychu and Redemption Flareon of Team Unity! Right?" he asked. "I read his story on The Angels, called 'Gates To Infinity'!"

"Yep!" Snorlax said. He scratched the side of his head. "... Actual events might be a little different than how Hero Recorder Butterfree wrote them down, though. Fair warning."

"Different...?" Buneary asked.

"Eheh, well..." Snorlax started. He began walking down the ramp, prompting the others to follow. "For starters, this bluff was where me and Donphan had our first mission, you know! But, um... it wasn't sparkling treasure we were looking for, like the book said."

"'Ey? You told me you found pearls, here, though," Remoraid argued.

"Well... _one_ pearl. For a poor baby spoink, who'd lost it."

"... Ah."

"R-Really!? That's not what the book said at _all!_ " Buneary squealed in shock. "It said for your first mission, you had to scour some dangerous caves to collect enough treasure to save your client's _life!_ "

"Eheh, yeah... Sorry to disappoint, Miss, but, er... it exaggerated the truth a bit," Snorlax said with a sheepish smile. "Butterfree's really excitable, y'see, so he has a habit of sprucing up events for the sake of storytelling. So... yeah."

She pouted. "Aww. Next you'll be telling me that Future Grovyle isn't Miss Donphan's ex-husband. And that she doesn't have the dimensional scream, giving her visions of the future so she can save people and dodge attacks effortlessly."

Snorlax bit on his lip, making her worry. "... They're... a _little_ exaggerated in the story, too, but don't worry too much, Buneary! Haha..."

"Er, sure..." Yamask mumbled, sounding unconvinced.

Buneary's pout deepened. She was starting to doubt things, too, honestly...

"Dimensional... what the...?" Corsola mumbled, sounding utterly confused.

"... Someone _married_ that woman?" Remoraid mumbled, sounding just as confused.

"Have we learned a lesson today, paisanos~?" Aegislash quipped. "Don't believe everything you read just because it's official, or you'll turn stupid."

"I guess so..." Yamask replied, sounding displeased.

Buneary let out a long breath. She'd rather just trust that people were being truthful, so it was a displeasing thing to think about, for sure.

* * *

Buneary watched Yamask as he flung purple, fiery Will-O-Wisp balls at the two wild chinglings blocking the gang's way. They hit the two floating bells, making them wince.

"I-I got 'em!" Yamask called out.

Taking the cue, Buneary leapt forwards and, with a front flip, slammed her two feet against one of the chinglings.

The bell squealed as she was launched away from them, crashing into a large lake nearby. Jumping away in a back flip, Buneary landed and faced the other chingling.

"Oh no, Sister!" he called out, gripping the red burn marks appearing on his skin. A blast of hot water from Remoraid hit him in the back, knocking him to the floor with a cry.

"Wooo!" Corsola cheered from nearby, waving her arms as if holding pom-poms. "Go, go, team! Go, go!"

Now on the ground, Buneary grinned at her. It was strange, but the cheering really perked her up. The coral was good at her job!

"N-No! Screw you!" the chingling snapped. he jumped to his feet and glowed an otherworldly blue. "We'll never lose to lousy chumps like you!"

The same glow began to surround Buneary, and she felt herself begin to float in the air against her will, as if being lifted by some unseen force. " _Wahhh! H-Help!_ " she cried, wriggling as much as she could. She flailed her feet as she felt herself slowly flip upside down.

"Damn it, me too!" Remoraid yelled. Looking at him, Buneary saw him being lifted upwards, too. "It's Psychic, or some shit!"

"D-Don't worry, I've got this!" Yamask called out, flying towards the chingling.

The bell looked at him as he approached. Immediately after, Buneary felt herself get flung, spiraling through the air. She screamed until she crashed onto something soft. She heard Remoraid crash nearby, too.

Groaning, she picked herself up. Looking around, she saw that they were in a big, open room. It was a fair distance away from the fighting, which she couldn't even see from where she was.

She was surprised to see a hoard of items, all neatly arranged around a carpet that covered a large section of the room. They also had little paper signs underneath with prices on them.

A murmur from nearby caught her attention. Turning, she spotted a male kecleon watching her and Remoraid in surprise.

"... Um... welcome to my store!" the chameleon said with what looked like a forced smile. "Need something to fight back against... er, whatever attacked you? Well, feel free to browse!"

" _Hell_ no!" Remoraid said. "I _hate_ spending money on stuff that's free in dungeons! It's a waste!"

The kecleon sighed, but held the smile. "Oh... well, suit yourself." He turned to Buneary. "And you?"

"Um... I-I can't, sorry," Buneary replied, getting to her feet. "I left my money with my friends back there..."

The chameleon's face fell. "Ah... um..." He smiled again. "Say, did you have one hundred P?"

"Oh, I-I think it was something like that, yeah."

The kecleon held out a wand. The end of it was a sphere in the same colors as their planet, Earth. "Well, if you come back and give me the money after your fight, then here: take it! You seem trustworthy enough."

Buneary gasped. "Oh, um... th-thank you~"

She reached forwards to grab it, but Remoraid flopped in the way, stopping her.

"Wait, what does it do?" he cut in, glaring at the shopkeeper. "I've been sold some utter crap before, so don't even _think_ about giving us a bad item!"

"Uh..." the kecleon replied, taken aback. "It's new, so I don't... um..."

"N-No, it's fine, I trust him, Remoraid!" Buneary interjected, frantically waving her paws. She bowed her head to the kecleon. "Um, th-thanks, Mr. Kecleon!"

The chameleon handed it over to her, smile returning. "Think nothing of it. Now, off you go!" he said.

Buneary nodded and bounded away, back towards the action. She heard Remoraid following closely behind.

As she came close enough, she spotted Yamask and Corsola still duking it out with the chingling, as Snorlax watched on in worry, and Aegislash in vague interest. Annoyingly, the other chingling had come out of the water to rejoin the fight, giving them some trouble.

Taking a deep breath and keeping a tight grip on the wand, Buneary carefully aimed. It wasn't easy, though. One of the chinglings - presumably the male one - seemed to be using Psychic to hold onto Yamask, incidentally keeping him in the firing range. Though the ghost was struggling too much for it be effective, it was enough to keep Buneary from trying to shoot at the chingling.

The other chingling was dancing around, avoiding bubbles flying out of Corsola's mouth. Because some of the bubbles were clinging to the bell, she was rather sluggish in her movements. Still fast enough to be a problem, though.

Buneary gave a deep exhale and waggled the wand. "That's enough!" she cried out.

The chinglings stalled to look at her. In a split second decision, Buneary aimed the wand at the female chingling just as a beam of green, blue and white energy fired out of it.

The bell shrieked and flew upwards, dodging it. Surprised, Buneary fired another beam, but it was dodged as the chingling went high enough to hide behind some stalactites.

"S-Stop attacking my sister, you- _Ugh...!_ " the male chingling yelled, stopping to grip his burnt side.

Seeming to notice the big lapse in attention, Yamask broke free of the Psychic attack and flew away a short distance, out of harm's way.

Gasping in happy realization, Buneary turned her wand on his captor and fired. Its energy hit the chingling square in the face, making him glow red.

" _A-Ah, what the-!?_ " he yelped before disappearing into red light. It travelled straight up, seemingly going through the ceiling.

Buneary stared at the departing pokémon. Huh, a wand that warped its target? Well, that was one way to end the confrontation, she guessed. Just in time, too. The wand was splintering lightly, so it probably wouldn't last many more uses.

Floating into view, the other chingling stared at where her brother had been moments ago. As Buneary aimed the wand at her, ready to fire again, the chingling squealed and fell to the floor, bowing profusely towards her.

" _I-I surrender! I'm sorry!_ " she begged. "It was his dumb idea to attack you, anyway! _Forgive me!_ "

Buneary lowered the wand. "Oh... okay," she mumbled, not expecting that.

Everyone else in the area became less tense, relaxing their fighting poses.

"Well... g-glad you learned your lesson!" Yamask said, grinning somewhat boastfully.

"Yeah! Now _get outta here!_ " Remoraid yelled, flopping closer to Buneary's side.

The bell complied, flying away for dear life.

"Nice one!" Snorlax praised.

Aegislash huffed amusedly. "Tsk. Anti-climactic, but that's one way of doing it," he said.

"Wonder where he ended up," Corsola said, looking up at the spot on the ceiling the chingling had warped through.

Buneary tilted her head. "Not sure..." she mumbled, looking up at the same spot.

* * *

"Now _what_ do you have to say for yourselves!?" Chatot yelled, very much at the end of his rope. He had the two youngsters he'd come to know and hate in front of him on the bottom floor of Wigglytuff's Guild, both receiving a tongue-lashing for their latest stunt. "You had better choose your words carefully, or mark my words, I'll-"

"Yeah, yeah, no dinner, whatever," Pancham retorted, defiantly crossing his arms. "Who cares? You can't stop us!"

"Yeah, we'll probably just eat stuff from our bags, again, anyway," Shelmet added, tilting his head as if to shrug.

"W-What?" Chatot gasped. He angrily stomped on the ground. Aghh, _damn it!_ He'd been _desperate_ for new recruits to join their guild. Especially ever since Team Destiny's book had come out and ruined their reputation for no good reason... but what had they done to deserve such _delinquents_ for newcomers!? He squawked loudly. " _You know what?_ The guildmaster will hear of this! A-And then he'll-!"

A red light appeared in front of him and produced a chingling covered in red marks out of nowhere, startling Pancham and Shelmet.

Chatot screamed loudly. "W-W-What is-!? Who are _you_ supposed to be!?" he yelled.

The chingling yelled back, making Chatot hop backwards in fright. Losing his balance, the parrot toppled to the ground with a yelp. " _G-Goodness me!_ " he squealed.

Pancham and Shelmet began to laugh at him. If he weren't so terrified, his anger would be at boiling point!

"Hey, Pancham, quick," Shelmet said. "He's distracted, so we should book it!"

"You got _that_ right! Let's scram!" Pancham replied.

The two of them made off towards the ladder and scrambled up it, with Shelmet riding on top of the panda's head.

"N-No! Get back here for your scolding, you utter _hooligans!_ " Chatot cried out to them. Before he could even think of a way to get to them, it was too late. He could only stare off in the direction they'd been, inadvertently in the same direction as Croagunk's old stall. Before he had found a way to dislodge its swap cauldron from the wall and make off with it, anyway.

"W-What is this crazy place!? Where's my sister!?" the chingling yelled. "Where are those jerks we didn't like the look of!?"

Chatot clambered to his feet and huffed irritably, before rounding on the invader. "Ohh, you door-to-door salespeople get worse every year!" He angrily fluttered his wings. "I hope you realize how much _shame_ I went through because of your... _tomfoolery!_ "

"I-I didn't do anything! What's going on!?"

"Don't give me tha-!"

"So much noise!" a cheery voice called out from the guildmaster's chambers. Wigglytuff stepped out of the doors leading into it, looking in Chatot's direction with a concerned gaze. He had a familiar igglybuff riding on his head, holding onto his fur curl. "Who's being picked on by Chatot toda-?" He stopped and stared at the chingling.

"G-Guildmaster!" Chatot called out, choosing to ignore his statement. He straightened himself out and smoothed down his chest feathers. "This pokémon here is _trespassing!_ And-"

Wigglytuff clapped his paws together with a bright smile. "Ooh, a new friendly friend~! And not just _any_ friendly friend, but one that looks like my Igglybuff's mama~!" He blinked. "... Sort of." He danced from foot to foot. " _Yaaaay~!_ "

" _Yaaay~!_ " Igglybuff joined in, waving her paws around while balancing on him. "Want Mama!"

He gasped. "Great idea!" He ran over to the chingling and grabbed its paw. "Come on, come on! Let's get you enrolled~!"

"W-What!?" the chingling yelped. He started to be dragged into Wigglytuff's office. " _W-What's even going ooooon!?_ "

The doors closed before Chatot could so much as even process what had happened. He stared off in their direction for what felt like minutes until he sighed heavily.

"... I need a drink," he grumbled, already knowing what to order from Spinda's Café.

* * *

Buneary trudged down the ramp leading to the next floor along with her friends, treading carefully to avoid sliding on the moss. It hadn't taken them too long to find the ramp, after the issue with the chinglings had been sorted out, which was very nice indeed.

Despite that, honestly, she was rather disheartened. After the battle had ended, she had gone to pay the kecleon back for the elsewhere wand, as it was called... only to discover that she'd been short by about twenty poké.

The kecleon had been nice about it and had let her keep the wand anyway... That is, until Remoraid had stepped in and insisted on paying the difference, saying something about how you shouldn't shortchange people.

It had been very nice of the both of them to be so generous, but it had left her feeling bad. She would have to find a way to repay them at some point. Even if she had to be incessant!

Octillery would be easy enough to pay back. For that kecleon, however... it would be hard to find him, again. Not unlike several kecleon orphans on Wellware Island, it was common for members of their species to travel all around to different dungeons, looking for opportunities to sell things to anyone passing by.

Despite that, however, Buneary was sure she would make it work out somehow.

"Ooh, here we are! Final floor!" Snorlax chimed as the ramp leveled out under him.

"Fuckin' _finally!_ " Remoraid yelled. "How long have we been in this damn place now, anyway?"

"Er... over two hours, if I had to guess," Yamask replied. "... Well, for... _us_ who joined Buneary, anyway."

Corsola gave him a strange look. "... Feels longer than that, somehow," she said, to which Remoraid agreed.

"Yeah..." Buneary mumbled. Using her arm to shield her eyes from the sun, she looked around as she left the ramp, which seemed to lead out of the cave. Interestingly, even though they were finally outside, it seemed that they were still in dungeon territory, indicated by the cliffs walling in the entire area.

She inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh air. It smelled damp, but after being in such a dank cave for so long, it was a delight.

After exhaling, she looked around. She recognized this floor as the one they'd viewed from that huge hole in the wall, earlier. Wet moss coated the ground almost everywhere, with the only exceptions being lakes, large rocks jutting out of the floor, and lengthy pathways of stone trailing all over the place, almost seeming pokémon-made.

While very spectacular and interesting to look at, she couldn't help but be concerned. The moss seemed traversable enough, but very slippery, not to mention deep in some areas. Maybe sticking to the pathways was the best bet for safety?

Noticing the sounds of crashing water, she looked around. The wall that made up the bluff had water cascading down from various different holes. It was so lovely that her concern was put at ease.

"Yeesh, it's completely different, isn't it?" Corsola asked. "How will we know when we're at the end?"

"There's a fountain in the middle, somewhere," Snorlax explained. "It's considered the end, because it's where our badges will let us teleport out!"

"If you can fly, though, it's a different story," Aegislash added, indicating toward the sky. "Nothing like cutting corners~"

Buneary pouted lightly. She wished she could fly...

* * *

Buneary continued her travels, using stone paths to traverse safely across the moss. Her friends did the same, except for Remoraid, who was swimming in a long stream of water running alongside the paths.

The group had encountered a few wild pokémon here and there, but, thankfully, they'd seemed to be minding their own business for the most part. A few had tried their luck against them, but they hadn't been very successful at all. Especially an armaldo that had slipped on some moss and cracked its head against the floor, fainting immediately. A reminder not to stray from the path.

After several minutes of nothing special happening, Buneary wondered if there was something she could say to fill in the dead air.

While looking around for some topic inspiration, she spotted Aegislash's badge, pinned against his metallic body. With golden wings, an equally golden round body and a shiny, dark blue button-like spot in the center, it was a truly pretty sight.

Seeing it gave her an idea. "Hey, um, Aegislash... I heard you're an independent explorer," she said with a smile. "What's it like?"

"Heh, a million times better than the guild life," the sword replied. "With no people telling me what I can and can't do, life is more fun than ever~ Not to mention, we keep every poké penny we earn."

Snorlax gave a sheepish chuckle. "It's, um... hard trying to get those missions without being in a guild, though, right?" he asked.

"Heh, a bit... but we were already known for being a good team, so it didn't take us long to get personal requests." He huffed amusedly. "Especially since our team does the more dodgy jobs no one else likes doing~"

Buneary frowned lightly. Curious as she was, she hoped he wouldn't give any examples...

"Eheh, well, um..." Snorlax stammered, sweating, "it's... a bit lonely, though, isn't it?" He smiled hopefully. "A lot more lonely than having friends to fall back on!"

"Haha, hardly," Aegislash replied. "I don't need _anyone_ to fall back on. Even back then, me and my team pretty much never worked together, and look at us now! Nothing's changed, and now we're Ace Rank."

"That sure explains a lot..." Yamask mumbled, getting a chuckle and nod from Corsola.

"W-Well..." Snorlax started, flustered.

Aegislash laughed. "Face it, Kitty, you just don't want me to give the guild bad advertising, do ya?" he teased.

Snorlax sighed in exasperation. "Well, I can't exactly go telling our guild members that there's better options," he said somewhat dryly.

"There's definitely worse ones..." Corsola mumbled.

"Sure you can," Aegislash replied to Snorlax, seemingly not hearing the coral. "It's-"

"'Ey, shut up for a second!" Remoraid interrupted. He indicated a fin towards the sword. "Your badge is flashin'!"

Everyone looked to the sword. Indeed, the blue button on his badge was slowly pulsing.

"Oop! Looks like that dough seed was around here, after all," Aegislash said, pulling the badge off and holding it between his fingers to stare at it.

"I wonder how badges always know where to take ya..." Corsola mumbled.

"You sure do like your questions, huh, Lil' Centaur?" Aegislash said.

"I'm... not exactly a pro at any of this..." she replied with an embarrassed smile. Buneary felt her pain.

"Heh, fair enough," he replied. He gave a big shrug. "Anyway, beats me! You'd have to ask Mr. Director. The mysterious big shot who keeps HAPPI running."

Buneary hopped over a big lump of moss in her way. "He makes people happy?" she asked.

He laughed. "Nice one. No, it's H.A.P.P.I.," he explained, annunciating every letter. "An acronym, of course."

"O-Oh, right..."

"... If I ask 'what's HAPPI', will that make me look bad?" Corsola asked.

"Oh, ya dozy miltank," Remoraid chided. He jumped from the current stream of water he'd been swimming in to a different one. "It's the company that gives us missions, and our gear, and other dungeon shit. Didn't ya read the pamphlet thing?"

"... Whimsicott did," she mumbled awkwardly.

"Ah. Well, it stands for... er..." Snorlax started before stalling. He quickly pulled a small booklet out of his bag and looked at it. "... Yeah. The 'Helping Adventurous Pokémon Prosper Institute'." He put the booklet away. "... Used to be called the 'Exploration Team Federation', but they wanted it to sound friendlier."

"... I'll never remember any of that, but thanks," Corsola replied, looking even more awkward.

"Just HAPPI is probably fine, eheh..." Yamask reassured her.

Buneary tried to commit everything said to memory. Probably easier said than done, but...

... Actually, thinking about it, HAPPI had been mentioned in her Gates To Infinity book. Just as The Angels had prepared to teleport to the Great Glacier, via one of their special 'magnagates', they'd learned of a new, emergency law created by HAPPI. One created as a result of an incident that had happened somewhere in the Air Continent, in a place called Shallow Beach Village.

She wasn't exactly sure on what the details of the law had been... but, because of it, the Angels had been forbidden from leaving Paradise without at least one member of the team occupying it, meaning they'd had to leave their friend, Enforcer Emolga, behind. Even as Underdog Dunsparce had been left in tears, being without his best friend.

Buneary frowned somberly. It had been such a sad part of the story... She would have to check up on those 'laws of HAPPI' to make sure she didn't stumble into any unpleasant surprises, just like they had.

Hmm, and thinking back on going independent as a freelance explorer... she wouldn't lie, it _had_ been something she'd thought about, at first. However, the idea, while a bit enticing, had also scared her silly. She wouldn't have even known the first step of going independent!

She would've had to find a place to live... track down some teammates, or otherwise handle missions on her own... make it big enough to actually get mission requests in the first place... and like Snorlax had said, it would've been awfully lonely.

No, she was glad she'd joined this guild. Well... was _about_ to join this guild. Even _with_ their awful cold showers.

* * *

After about fifteen minutes of walking and talking - or swimming and flopping, in Remoraid's case - the gang had finally made it to the middle of the huge canyon.

It was very easily identified by its landmark: a large, circular area made up of cobblestones, and surrounded by a sea of thick moss, with huge boulders poking out from within here and there.

At the back of the stony area lay a big, pretty fountain. It had water trailing down the small set of steps it was made up of, pooling into large ponds at the bottom.

Buneary couldn't help herself from staring in awe. "Ooh, it's so pretty~!" she cooed.

"Yeah, it's nice, isn't it?" Snorlax replied. He sighed with a smile. "Y'know, being here is so nostalgic. It's exactly here where we ended our first mission on a success and found Spoink's pearl," he explained. He paused to scratch the back of his head,"... on the third try, after Wigglytuff had to give us some stuff to help us. Eheh..."

"Well, it sure was hard in there, so _I'm_ not judging," Corsola reassured.

"Thanks, but it was _way_ easier back then, so it's still a bit embarrassing..."

"Ah..." Buneary mumbled. Tsk, she knew his book had said they'd barely scraped by on their first mission, but had it played things up again...? Oh well, maybe it had been close enough.

"But hey, you still did it eventually, right?" Yamask said.

"Eheh, yeah... eventually," Snorlax replied.

While flying around, seemingly checking the environment, Aegislash huffed amusedly. "Yep, and that little spoink rewarded you eight years later by joining the guild, didn't she?" he added.

Buneary tilted her head in intrigue. Joining the guild?

Yamask gasped. "Wow, _really?_ Y'mean Sasspot Grumpig?" he asked in disbelief.

Corsola looked at him with wide eyes. "Ohh, so it's Grumpig back at the guild? You knew her _that_ long ago, Snorlax?" she asked.

"I sure did!" Snorlax said with a chuckle. "She was still a baby back then, but she's not much younger than me, you know."

Buneary shrugged, though smiled all the same. She didn't really know who they were referring to, but in a way, Grumpig sounded like a celebrity! Especially since she had been Team Destiny's very first client! The rabbit was excited to meet her already.

... Still, a 'sasspot'? Buneary hoped that didn't translate to being a 'quipper' like Marowisp...

From a pond near the fountain, Remoraid huffed in amusement. "I'll bet she was fuckin' sassin' you even back as a brat, huh?" he asked.

"Actually..." Snorlax replied, "she was a lot jollier back then. A mite quirky, too." He laughed. "In her own words after we saved her pearl, she'd been 'boinging and sproinging' everywhere, looking for it. And gotten herself covered in 'dings and bumps'."

Everyone either laughed or giggled at the news. Even Remoraid, who had snorted out a chortle.

"I would've never guessed she'd said something like that," Yamask said. "She's always so calm and sharp-witted all the time."

"Well, everyone has to grow up, I suppose," Buneary said. She let out a breath through her nose with a small smile. "I had to watch my cute little brother grow up, after all. From relying on me all the time, to being hyper competent..."

"Ain't that the truth..." Corsola replied.

Yamask looked like he was going to add something, but Aegislash piped up before he could. "Oh, would'ja look at that?" the sword said, holding something up. It looked like a golden droplet. "Guess my objective's done."

"Well, er... well done!" Buneary praised.

"Good, now piss off!" Remoraid added. "We're getting' sick and tired of your bullshit!"

Aegislash laughed and gave an exaggerated shrug. "Oh, what a pity. And here I was going to suggest something, too."

"Oh, what did you have in mind, Aegislash?" Snorlax asked.

"Well... the rest of my team got to fight the greenhorns, and I just hate being left out, so..." He fell from the sky and landed in front of Buneary, Corsola and Yamask, surprising them all, "... entertain me for a while, why don't'cha? Just you four and me, without Snorlax. No wands, orbs, or stuff to heal with."

Buneary stared at him in shock. Looking at the others, she saw them looking just as surprised.

"... Really? Us?" Corsola asked, confusion written all over her face.

"Why not?" Aegislash replied. "They say every good dungeon needs something nasty to fight at the end... so I may as well be it, eh?"

"Now, now, Aegislash..." Snorlax said sternly, but also with an air of worry. "You know they're, er... not as experienced as you, so-"

" _Not experienced?_ " Remoraid yelled. "Ey, screw you, I'll take this prick on by _myself!_ " He leapt out of the water and shot a barrage of big seeds at Aegislash in a wide spread, using the force of them to stay airborne.

The sword's blade glowed white. He took to the air, spinning like a propeller. The seeds ricocheted off his body, going in all directions.

Yelping, everyone on land dodged out of the way. Cringing from the sting of stray shots hitting her, Buneary watched the cracks they created in the floor with horror. Y-Yeesh, how was Aegislash taking this with no problems!?

As the final seed came close to the sword, he stopped spinning to swing his arm outwards. His shield collided with the seed, sending it flying back. It struck Remoraid before he could fall back into the pond, sending him sprawling into the thick moss while yelling in pain.

Buneary gasped and looked at Aegislash. He'd landed to look back at the others with amusement in his eye. "Heh, should I take that as a 'challenge accepted', then?"

"... Welp, we're screwed," Corsola said with a laugh that sounded far more scared than amused.

"Y-Yeah, how can we compete with _that!?_ " Buneary added.

Aegislash laughed. "Oh, relax. As if I'd go all out against rookies. Where's the fun in fighting anyone if you're just going to steamroll 'em?" he explained. "May as well not even bother fighting at all, right? So I'll go easy. You could even consider it a test of some sort, if you want."

"How can we even trust you?" Yamask asked, frowning in distrust. "You keep making fun of us, s-so this could be one of your tricks!"

"Haha, oh please. I might be a rude dude with some 'tude, but lying is Marowisp's thing, not mine," the sword replied. He put a hand to his hip. "C'mon, consider it a mission request. I'll even make it worth your while."

"Yeah, he probably means it..." Snorlax said with a sigh. He shrugged and turned to the others. "Well, it's up to you. Being a challenge, your teams'll get some rank points if you satisfy him enough. Plus whatever he's offering up!"

Buneary stared at him. Rank points? With enough of those, she could go up the ranks, and maybe even get to gold rank and beyond. Just like she'd always dreamed...

... She gulped and nodded at the sword. "Okay, I... I accept!" she said, frowning in determination, and in an attempt to quell her nerves. "I'll fight!"

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

"Hah, what do you know? The teddy's got a spine!" Aegislash joked.

"Well... she's not going alone!" Yamask added, balling a fist. "I-I'll join in, too!"

"Yeah, now you're... talkin'...!" Remoraid called out. Looking, Buneary saw him in the distance, using his fins to slowly glide through the moss with a pained grimace on his face. "I ain't... scared of no friggin' metal dick head! I'll kill ya!"

Buneary smiled at the two of them. "Thanks! That's nice of you guys~" she said, feeling a lot less nervous.

Corsola gulped. "... Hoo boy..." she muttered.

"It's okay if _you_ don't want to fight, Corsola," Buneary said, noticing her reluctance.

"Yeah, _we've_ got this, I-I think!" Yamask said.

The coral took a deep breath and shook her head. "N-No, it's okay...!" she said through a clearly strained smile. "Um... there's no 'I' in 'teamwork', after all! Haha..."

"Thanks, Corsola..." Buneary replied, hoping that she wasn't dragging the poor girl into things.

"Well... if you're up for it, I guess I'll watch and be the ref for you," Snorlax said. He smiled reassuringly. "If anything fishy happens, I'll put a stop to it. No worries!"

Aegislash happily clapped both hands together. "Heh, swell! Better not disappoint me, then, rookies!" he said.

"B-Back at you!" Yamask retorted.

"We'll try..." Corsola mumbled with a breath.

* * *

After everyone had shared some oran berries and drunk some elixirs from Snorlax's bag, Buneary and her friends had taken up their places to the side of the fountain. Aegislash stood opposite them on the other side of their makeshift arena.

"Ready?" Aegislash asked.

Everyone responded with varying amounts of positivity.

"'Kay. Better give it your best shot, then~"

"Yep! Um... off you go, everyone!" Snorlax said from a safe distance away. Remoraid and Aegislash's bags were by his side for safekeeping. "Best of luck!"

Buneary took up a fighting pose, as well as Yamask. She saw Remoraid flop towards one of the ponds next to the fountain. Corsola just stood in place, looking very nervous.

Buneary took a deep breath. To be honest, she couldn't blame the coral. _She_ was nervous, too.

She expected Aegislash to come at them, but he just stood in place, seeming completely aloof.

"... Er..." Buneary mumbled.

"I-I'll go first!" Yamask yelled. He conjured some dark, fiery balls and flung them.

Aegislash effortlessly batted them away with his shield as they drifted close. "You call that a starting attack?" he asked in amusement. "It's no good if I can see it coming, amigo~"

Yamask frowned. "Ugh, drat..."

"Whatever!" Remoraid growled out before inhaling. Steaming water erupted out of his mouth, splitting into several streams as it shot through the air.

"Oh, interesting!" Aegislash said. He dashed forwards, aiming in-between the big streams of water like they were part of an obstacle course. Seeming to get away with just a graze, he made it through and came at the others, blade tip first.

Yelping, Buneary dodged out of the way on instinct, and accidentally crashed into Yamask's body. They tumbled to the floor in a pile.

Unhurt, but embarrassed, she tried to apologize. When her words came out muffled, she became doubly embarrassed when she realized she was speaking into his crotch.

Scrambling off him on all fours, she apologized profusely, embarrassed beyond belief. However, that didn't stop him from freaking out and going entirely red. Whoops.

Aegislash laughed at the spectacle. Looking, she saw him standing next to them. "I didn't even need to attack and you're already on the floor. Well, alright," he said. He angled his head towards Corsola. "Well, that leaves you, doesn't it? Shall we tango?"

"Eep! N-N-No thanks!" Corsola squealed.

His metallic body glowed green. "Too bad. Get ready!" he said. He did a back flip, flinging a sharp, green projectile her way.

She shrieked and stiffened up, making her skin go visibly hard. The projectile hit her, sending her sliding backwards with a pained grunt. Still, she stood firm.

"'Ey, you ignorin' me!?" Remoraid yelled. He fired hundreds of big seeds in a spray.

Aegislash took off his shield and dropped it. Instead of falling, however, the shield hung in the air, allowing Aegislash to jump into the back of it, planting himself firmly behind it. His arms took up a peculiar posture behind the shield as he allowed the seeds to pelt him all at once.

Now on her feet, Buneary tilted her head in confusion. Just what was he doing?

He allowed the seeds to keep smacking into him. Weirdly, though, they didn't seem to have much of an effect. Whatever the sword was up to had apparently worked wonders.

"What!?" Remoraid yelled, looking flummoxed. "Shit, did Hustle make me miss!?"

Aegislash hummed out a chuckle. "Nope! Maybe you're just too weak," he taunted.

"You son of a-" Remoraid started before growling and leaping out of the water. He hopped closer in big bounds, looking infuriated. "Screw the water! Sniping is for _pussies!_ "

Buneary took that as a sign to go on the offensive herself, readying her feet for Bounce. Glancing at Yamask, she saw him looking like he was busy conjuring something in his hands, though with great difficulty due to embarrassment.

Feeling her own face warm up to match his lingering blush, she shook her head and leapt towards Aegislash, feet first. She smashed both feet against his face, though he didn't budge an inch. It was only then she realized he was completely surrounded by some sort of transparent barrier, made up of tiny, shield-like emblems weaved together.

Her attack made useless, she bounced off the barrier, frowning in disappointment. Landing, she gasped when she nearly stumbled to the floor. What the...?

Looking at her feet, she was alarmed to see a strange pattern on both of them, shimmering brightly. They looked like the small emblems that the barrier was made of, making her feel suspicious.

Seemingly not noticing, Remoraid leapt forwards at Aegislash, flailing about like crazy with his skin glowing red. "Eat _this,_ you cocky _bastard!_ " he yelled, slamming into the sword and striking rapidly with every body part available.

Sadly, the barrier was still protecting Aegislash, making Remoraid's attacks useless. Oddly, though, the fish's twisted headband kept on flashing, once for each time he struck the shield. On top of that, no emblem symbols seemed to be appearing on him.

Eventually, he bounced away from Aegislash's barrier only to rush at him again as soon as he landed, this time from the sword's side. However, he fell through the sword - who had immediately gone transparent - and crashed to the ground.

Aegislash quickly used the tip of his bladed body to yank Remoraid's twisted band off his head. "Nice choice of clothing, jabroni," he praised. He flung it away, sending it sailing into one of the fountain's ponds. "Go fetch!"

"W-What the-!?" Remoraid exclaimed, patting the top of his smooth head with a fin. He began to aggressively flop around, going even redder with anger. "Oh, you _bitch! You wanna die, or **what!?**_ " He sprung towards Aegislash and began to pummel the sword's barrier for dear life.

Shortly after, Remoraid stopped attacking as his skin went back to normal. He flopped to the floor as glowing emblems appeared on most of his body. He suddenly looked very tired.

"Oh, Hell... everything feels heavy..." he muttered, limply trying to move his fins.

Buneary gave him a worried glance. Had he fainted, because of all the emblems!? Pokémon didn't always have to be unconscious to 'faint', per say, so...

Buneary tried to go over and take him away to safety. Going in for a hop, however, her legs suddenly felt immensely tired, like she'd been travelling for hours. Her legs were shaking too much to even attempt another hop. Ugh...!

"Problem?" Aegislash asked Remoraid tauntingly, dropping his barrier. He used the tip of his bladed body to flick the fish, sending him rolling away swearing.

Seeing his helplessness, something clicked in Buneary's head. "I-It's the shield!" she shouted.

Still charging an attack, Yamask looked at her in shock. "What? His _Protect_ did that?" he asked.

"I-I think-"

Corsola dashed past Aegislash, sailing through the air as if she'd just used Tackle. As it ended, she stumbled out of the air and crashed against the floor, landing on her face.

Everyone stared at her.

She picked herself up off the floor. "Ohh, I hate having Hustle..." she moaned, rubbing her face.

"Aww, _shit!_ Tell me about it!" Remoraid agreed. "I didn't miss that piece of crap."

Aegislash laughed. "You have Hustle, Bubble and Icicle Spear, but you're using ramming moves like Tackle? Oh my..."

She cringed. "I-I don't know! I just use my moves, and hope for the best!"

He clicked his tongue, though the look in his eye told Buneary it was done in amusement. "Take a while before using your move, and it'll be weaker but more accurate. Heh, or if you wanna keep it strong, run around and keep on firing to stir up some chaos. Spray and pray until one of us drops unconscious, in other words. Got that?"

"Umm... got it?" Corsola replied, sounding confused.

Buneary was also confused. Why was he offering advice while fighting them?

"Good! Anyway, on with the show!" Aegislash exclaimed, jumping 'out' of his shield while his blade glowed light blue. A beam of light stretched out from the tip as he went in for a swing at Buneary.

She yelped and prepared a Dizzy Punch. Thankfully, unlike her feet, her ears were working, so she was just in time to catch the blade of light with the tips of her ears. Straining hard, she kept him in place, saving her face from being struck. Oh, legends, he was strong...!

"Aha, finally!" Yamask yelled, holding out his hands. Dark rings of energy poured out, flying towards Aegislash.

Seeing it happen out of the corner of her eye, Buneary smiled. There was no way Aegislash was going to avoid _that!_

The sword huffed and lifted his body upwards, taking her with him.

Brought off her feet, she squealed and let go, only for a horribly weird sensation to course through her. She saw the rings pass through her body and wrap around Aegislash as they reached him.

"Oh... haha, whoops," he said, eye widening. He grunted as the rings caused a dark aura to constrict him for a while. "Ghost on normal... Shoulda seen that coming..."

Landing on her bum, Buneary scrambled away backwards a safe distance, all while looking at him in surprise. What? Why hadn't that hurt _her?_ She could hurt ghost-types just fine, unless they went transparent... but Yamask's move hadn't hurt her, even though she hadn't done anything?

She put a paw to her forehead. Ohh, this made her head hurt. Well, at least things had gone well!

"Haha, yeah!" Yamask said excitedly. Flying closer to Aegislash, he raised both hands again. A scary, wailing face erupted out of the wisp.

Aegislash hopped back in surprise. He was blasted by a jet of steaming water as he landed in Remoraid's line of sight, sending the sword reeling backwards.

"That's what you get, chump!" the emblem-covered fish yelled, cutting off his attack.

"Heh, no kidding..." Aegislash replied, skin looking red in places.

Buneary decided to join in by holding out a paw and firing a round of Swift stars. They passed through Aegislash as he turned invisible, going towards Snorlax in the process.

The bear yelped and held his arms up to block. The stars smacked into them before bursting, thankfully to little effect.

"S-Sorry!" Buneary yelled, putting her paws to her mouth in shock.

"D-Don't worry about it, Miss!" Snorlax called out, tenderly rubbing his arms with a somewhat awkward smile.

She let out a breath. Darn it...

Aegislash turned solid again, a blade of light growing from his own blade. "I did say I'd go easy on you, but, hey... let's turn it up a notch~" he said. His blade of light grew really long and he back-flipped away from Buneary.

She looked at him, worried. She yelped when his blade cleaved through the stone floor like butter. " _H-Holy moly!_ " she yelled, getting ready to hop away.

Her tired legs refused to budge. It felt like someone had tied heavy bricks to them. No, no, _no!_

The blade of light burst out of the floor under her, slamming between her legs and flinging her high into the air with a slice.

She screamed in pain. _Owww! Son of an orb!_

She tumbled uncontrollably into a deep pond with a big splash. Unable to tell up from down, she felt the urge to panic begin to stab at her... but the combined force of her tired legs, the cold water, and her horribly stinging lady parts made it hard to dredge up the energy to even _think_ about it. Ughh...

Finding the bottom of the pond, she lay there to collect herself. She was fairly good at holding her breath, so she would be okay for a while.

Shivering, she rubbed her tender nether regions with a groan of pain. Thankfully, Aegislash's attack hadn't cut through the fluff, keeping her decent... but it still stung like heck. Ughh, she was _so_ glad she wasn't a boy.

With a little difficulty - due to the pain, her weakened legs, and the nasty cold water - she slowly swam back to the surface. She noticed something white and blue floating a close distance away as she rose.

Even with the water warping her vision, she recognized it. The twisted headband Remoraid had been wearing! The one that had protected him from Aegislash's special... well, Protect!

... Aww, darn, but it was useless to her because of her ability, wasn't it?

She mentally sighed. Well, she may as well take it to Remoraid, anyway. She swam towards it and took it, placing it onto her extended ear. It fit perfectly.

Just as she was about to go back to the surface, something dove into the water with a splash. It grabbed her waist, causing air bubbles to escape her mouth from surprise. It quickly swam back up, dragging her along.

As they broke the surface, Buneary took a deep breath and looked at her savior. She saw Corsola's characteristically pink back, which Buneary was unceremoniously splayed against. It was delightfully warm, compared to the water.

"Ugh... thanks..." she replied, pushing herself up onto the coral using the branches on her back. None of them broke off this time, thankfully.

Corsola jolted lightly. "Oh! I'm surprised you're still awake after taking such a nasty knock to the cooch, Buneary," she said.

Now fully sitting on her back, Buneary groaned in embarrassment, face going warm. "C-Corsola...! Do you have to phrase it that way...?"

Corsola giggled. "Just saying it how it is~"

Buneary pouted. That girl could be so shameless, sometimes...

She looked towards the others. Oddly, she couldn't see anyone. A thick, black smoke was enveloping a large section of the battlefield, obscuring everyone from view. She remembered it being Yamask's Haze attack, though she could only imagine why he'd used it now. An attempt to fool Aegislash and get past his shield, maybe?

Corsola stopped giggling at her earlier comment. "Seriously, though, you okay?" she asked. "Snorlax said..." she started speaking in a silly, deep voice, 'Oh dear, and Sacred Sword's fighting-type, too. She'll sure hate that!'"

Buneary giggled. "Um... nice impression," she praised.

"Heehee, why thank you~" Corsola replied, continuing to use the voice.

Buneary giggled again. Calming down, she nodded. "But yeah, I'm... okay." She winced. "... If I take another hit like that, though..."

"Y-Yeah..." Corsola replied in her normal voice. "Then no more babies for you, huh?"

Buneary cringed, embarrassment returning. "Th-That's not what I meant...!"

Corsola giggled mischievously. "I know~"

Buneary blinked. She clicked her tongue in exasperation, but she was amused, she wouldn't lie. "Oh, you're so naughty, Corsola."

Corsola gave a playful hum, as if sticking out her tongue. She stopped shortly after. "Seriously, though, you're right. He'll freaking wipe the floor with us when he's done messing around! That's why I _knew_ this would be a horrible idea. How can we even come _close_ to beating a guy like that?"

Buneary frowned lightly, wondering the same thing. She looked around for ideas. A way to get around Aegislash's defenses...

That powerful Protect of his was very worrying, indeed. Not only did it block attacks, but it could weaken people with those strange emblems, too. Buneary bet that was related to his ability, somehow. Whatever it was.

She suddenly heard Remoraid ranting something from within the dark cloud. She listened intently, wondering if it was important.

"So it _is_ Haze!?" the fish yelled.

"Y-Yeah... why?" Yamask panted, sounding really tired.

Buneary found herself worrying about him. Oh dear, had he run out of stamina, because he'd been overusing attacks too quickly? If that was the case, he wouldn't be able to use any more moves for a while...

"Aghhh, you numbnuts! Haze gets rid of weird weakening problems! We coulda gotten rid of your dumb Shadow Bone fire... _thing_ way earlier!"

"Ah! S-Sorry! I thought it just... made enemies weaker, or something!"

"Agh, whatever, it's fine! Just help me find that damn sword!"

"R-Right!"

Aegislash said nothing, but Buneary could faintly hear him humming out a chuckle from inside the dark cloud.

The rabbit blinked. Haze could do that? Get rid of weakening problems? She'd thought it was just a Smokescreen! Though Corsola had mentioned that a smokescreen-like Haze counted as a 'powered move', so maybe it wasn't always like that?

Either way, she smiled, suddenly realizing how to fix things. Looking around, she saw that some Haze had drifted towards an upper part of the fountain. "Hey, Corsola," she said, catching the coral's attention. She pointed at the drifting cloud. "Could you take me up there, to where the smog is?"

"Huh? Well, okay, will do!" Corsola replied. She swam to the ledge and, after pulling herself up, quickly climbed up the several steps leading to the top of the fountain.

The second she was inside the dark Haze cloud, Buneary immediately felt refreshed. Looking at her feet, she could see the emblem patterns fade away into nothing.

She happily kicked her feet, super pleased when they no longer felt like lead weights. "Ahhh~ Thanks, Corsola!" she chimed.

"Umm... you're welcome?" Corsola replied, sounding a bit confused.

Buneary smiled sheepishly and geared herself up to explain. She paused when she noticed that the Haze cloud was beginning to disperse. Ah, no time! If she wanted to put a plan into action, she needed to act fast, while they had stealth on their side! After all, if Corsola had thought that the rabbit had fainted earlier, then surely Aegislash was assuming something similar, right?

She looked around for an idea. _Any_ idea. Seeing all the thick moss surrounding the arena, though, something occurred to her. Stealth, huh...?

She wondered how to word her plan to Corsola. The coral spoke before she could, however. "Hmm, y'know, I wonder how to do that 'spray and pray' thing Aegislash mentioned..." she mumbled.

"Oh, you mean where you run around and wildly fire attacks, or something?" Buneary asked.

"Something like that, yeah. I can't aim to save my life, and if I aim for too long, my attacks are weaker than toilet paper, so... sucks to be me, I guess!"

Buneary nodded slowly in understanding. Her eyes widened when she thought of _another_ plan. "Ooh, actually, let's try it! Why don't you run around and fire icicles, or bubbles, or something?" she suggested. "I'll wait for an opening in the moss!"

"Um... couldn't hurt to try, I guess!"

"Okay. Good luck!" Buneary hopped off Corsola's back and dived into the moss. As she'd expected, it was thick and concealed her perfectly, if she lay down. That said, it was unexpectedly slimy, too. Ugh...

Putting that thought aside, she crawled through the moss, doing her best to ignore how messy her front was going to be after this. As she worked her way around towards one of the sides of the arena, she listened to what was going on in the battle.

"Umm, here's that chaos you ordered, Aegislash! _Whooo!_ " Corsola sang. Buneary could hear the crashing of icicles ring out from all around the arena.

"Ah! Hey, you dweeb, get down!" Remoraid yelled.

Yamask yelped, presumably as he got down to the floor.

"Oho, finally, you're doing something useful, Centaur~" Aegislash said. Buneary heard some energy come from the sword. The same sound his strange Protect had made. "Can you make it through my shield forme, though?"

"Probably not, but let's _goooo~!_ " Corsola sang.

Buneary nodded to herself. Good, it sounded like he was distracted. That 'shield forme', though... that was going to be a pain. Thinking about how to deal with it made her nervous... but she had to carry on!

After a short while of crawling, she bumped into a wall. Rubbing her head, she looked up at it to see one of the really big boulders, which littered the dungeon floor.

She noted that it was shaped in such a way that it had a ring-like layer around the bottom half, like a step, almost. Deciding it would make a good vantage point, she hopped onto the bottom half of the huge boulder and peered around the side of the top half.

She saw Corsola running around, firing off huge clusters of icicles off her back in all directions. She wasn't watching where she was shooting, so she must have taken Aegislash's advice to heart.

Aegislash was floating around, using his shield to block any projectiles that happened to fly in his direction.

Yamask was on the floor, allowing the icicles to fly over his head. Remoraid was by his side with gritted teeth, poised in such a way that he almost seemed like he was trying to protect the ghost next to him from danger.

Buneary smiled at the sight. He was so caring, in his odd little way.

Corsola suddenly tripped on something with a yelp, catching Buneary's attention again. It was Yamask's golden mask, which had apparently been dropped, earlier.

As the coral picked herself up, bandages emerged from it and began to wrap themselves around her. She squealed and tried to shake them off, but they clung to her for dear life.

Aegislash hopped in front of her, shield now on his arm. "Hah, oh dear. Guess you should learn to watch where you're going, huh?" he teased, blade glowing green.

Corsola took a step back. "O-Oh, Hell...!" she said, producing some more icicles on her face and front. She shot them all at once, hitting him with all of them. Sadly, though, they were pretty tiny, so Aegislash barely reacted.

"Probably hypocritical of me to say it, but..." the sword started. He spun around like a propeller, rapidly sending sharp, green projectiles flying, "... don't rely on abilities _too_ much!"

The many sharp projectiles bombarded Corsola, cutting into her and leaving many bruises. She cried out in pain as they took her off her feet, sending her sprawling away across the stone floor.

As Aegislash stopped, she didn't move again. She stayed on her side, out for the count as the tattered remains of the bandages drifted down around her.

"Corsola! D-Damn!" Yamask called out with a frown, floating back into the air.

Buneary cringed. Poor Corsola... How many times had she fainted today?

The rabbit blinked and gasped. Wait... those Mummy bandages had come out of Yamask's mask, hadn't they? Plus, they were contagious, from what she could remember.

Yes, she had an idea!

Hopping onto the top of the rock she'd hidden behind, she powered up a Bounce and leapt high into the sky. With a forward flip, she came straight down, slamming into the floor right next to the mask. The force sent it into the air, so she grabbed it, allowing the bandages that came out from the back of it to travel up her arm and around her body. She tried to hold back a shiver at the tickly sensation.

Aegislash's eye widened in surprise. "Oh, well what do ya know, you're still-!" he started.

She felt bad for it, but she leapt towards him before he could finish, leaving the mask behind. She aimed for his spiky, golden head, ready to wrap her paws around it.

In a swift, flawless motion, Aegislash slipped his shield onto himself, swapping into his shield forme. His familiar barrier appeared before him. "Aha, not quite!" he taunted.

She yelped. Oh crud, she'd failed! She flailed her limbs in a desperate attempt to stop. Unfortunately, she smacked into his special Protect with the full front of her body.

She tensed up, fully expecting the emblems to coat her and make her useless. A soft tingle went through her body and she fell to the floor.

Landing, she hopped away a short distance and looked herself over. There wasn't an emblem to be found.

She tilted her head, confused. A quick flash from above brought her attention to the twisted headband she was wearing.

Looking at it in her peripheral vision, she smiled in delight. Oh, yeah, because of Mummy, she didn't have Klutz for a while! Nice~

"Huh. Guess I should've banned special items from the match, huh?" Aegislash said with an amused huff. He came out of his shield, blade glowing green. "Well, whatever keeps things interesting!" He sliced at the air, sending a sharp projectile flying at her.

She jumped over it as it carved the air below her, lunging for him when high enough. She reached him as he corrected himself and wrapped her paws against his spiky, golden head, body plastered against his face.

The bandages around her seemed to multiply as they slithered across to transfer over to him, wrapping him up in as many as there were wrapped around her.

"Th-There! No more shields!" she said, continuing to cling on. If she stayed like this, it would hinder him, right?

"Oof! Color me impressed, Teddy..." Aegislash said, sounding surprised. "You're just full of surprises, ain't'cha?" He let out an amused huff. "Guess that's it for using King's Shield. If I use it now, it'll do jack in _this_ forme."

Buneary stared at him. King's Shield? Wait... so it _hadn't_ been Protect, but a _different_ move? Oh... She'd banked on him having an ability that made Protect even better, or something, so... whoops.

Well, it had still worked out, so she'd take it, she guessed. Even if the massive coincidence made her feel way less smart.

"Wow, nice..." Snorlax muttered.

"Sweet! You did it, Buneary!" Yamask praised excitedly.

"Yeah, good going!" Remoraid added. "Now, let's attack the bastard!"

The praise brought Buneary's spirits up, making her beam. Well, either way... hooray, she'd helped~!

Her smile fell as she felt a hand wrap around her ear. She squealed as she was yanked off Aegislash and slammed onto her back.

Through her dazed vision, she saw the sword floating high above her. His blade was pointed straight at her, glowing brightly.

"If I can't use defense..." he started. He plunged straight towards her, " _guess I'm stuck with offense!_ "

Buneary screamed. She could do nothing as he plunged straight into her stomach, causing intense pain. Her consciousness slipped away from her immediately afterwards.

* * *

Waking up to aches and pains, as well as a lot of commotion, Corsola slowly opened her eyes. Ughh... Oh, if people could get medals for losing streaks, she would have enough to fill a _wall._ She knew she should've just stuck to the sidelines and cheered, like usual.

Oh well. Thanks to her ability, Regenerate, she didn't tend to faint for too long. She could even move around and fight afterwards, which fainted pokémon usually couldn't do. So that was something.

... Wait, but she shouldn't have any abilities, because of Yamask's Mummy ability thing. So how had Regenerate even worked?

... But then again, she had Natural Cure, which quickly healed her of any nasty issues she had. Did Mummy count as a nasty issue? But... how would it have healed her, if it had been turned off?

... That said, all the bandages had been cut to ribbons, looking at the mess of cloth surrounding her. Maybe they hadn't been working properly, or...?

She mentally shrugged before a headache could form. Oh, whatever, she didn't know. She wasn't paid to think about such complicated, advanced things! Usually, she would just leave thinking and fighting to Whimsicott, seeing as she was much better at it. Though... maybe that was why Corsola was so crap. Oh well, whatever.

Still too pained to move around just yet, she looked around at her surroundings. Buneary - with Remoraid's headband on her ear - was on the floor, looking completely out of it. Judging by the horrible bruise on her belly, she must've been knocked out by an attack by Aegislash. Poor girl.

The sword in question was fighting off Yamask and Remoraid with sword swipes. They fought back by firing attacks at him, floating and hopping around to avoid hits.

Her two comrades seemed like they were starting to get worn out, but Aegislash looked like he could still go several rounds without any problems, even _with_ his burns. He was such a beast! A rather attractive beast, perhaps, but still a beast!

Snorlax was watching the three fight with keen interest, seemingly not noticing Corsola being awake. Sadly, his arms were crossed, covering that rather macho chest of his, despite his species' natural plumpness. Pity.

With nothing better to do, and not wanting to distract them with cheering, Corsola slowly made her way over to Buneary, wondering if there was some sort of way to help her out. Healing items were off the table, but she was sure she could take a crack at something, anyway.

As she reached Buneary, she formed some ice on her hands. Careful to avoid touching those weird bandages, she rubbed them against the rabbit's soggy, mossy fur, on top of her bruise. After a minute or so of this, that bruise was _sure_ to die down!

Unfortunately for Buneary, though, she'd have to heal her poor pulverized pussy, herself. They weren't quite _that_ close for Corsola to be rummaging down there with her icy hands just yet.

Going back to watching the fight, the coral smiled to herself. Honestly, Buneary was a refreshing change to the guild. Most of the other girls seemed pretty prudish in some way or another. Whimsicott, especially. There was nothing Corsola hated more than painfully awkward situations... so she was happy to meet someone who she could make perverted comments around, without things becoming insanely awkward~ Not to mention, Buneary was a nice, innocent kind of girl, too, which was a nice bonus!

Continuing to watch the fight, Corsola noticed something gleaming in a small patch of weeds nearby. Intrigued, she slowly moved towards it and reached through to pick it up. Bringing it closer, she saw that it was one of those emera things, light blue in color.

Huh, neat! This was that drug thing that helped a pokémon fight, right? And, er... whatever else Aegislash had said. Something to do with shoving them into bracelets. She'd forgotten, honestly.

All of a sudden, Yamask finally scored a hit with his Night Shade, causing a painful-looking aura to wash over Aegislash. Cringing in pain, he didn't notice Remoraid hop high into the air and come down towards him, skin glowing red.

"Here ya go, ya _prick!_ " the fish yelled, slamming his tail fin into Aegislash. He followed up with a lot more strikes, practically using his whole body to pummel the sword, who flinched with every hit.

Corsola watched in awe. Ooh, she'd always enjoyed watching a good, testosterone-fueled battle. It was a lot more fun, hot and less painful than getting into fights, herself!

Remoraid began glowing brightly, surprising Corsola. He jumped away and fell to the floor as tentacles grew out of his bright silhouette of a body, which was also growing in size. Seconds later, the bright flash subsided, leaving a pleased-looking octillery behind.

"Cool, you evolved! ... Um, again, I guess!" Yamask said, staring in awe.

"Oh, friggin' _finally!_ " Octillery yelled.

"Hoo boy, if that's not cause for concern..." Aegislash mumbled.

Octillery lunged forwards and grabbed onto Aegislash with all tentacles. He aimed his nozzle at the sword's face and blasted him with a full jet of steaming water.

The sword flew out of the octopus's grasp from the force of the water, grunting in pain. He crashed against the floor, groaning.

Corsola watched in glee. Wow, what a critical hit! If _that_ wasn't the end of the fight, she didn't know _what_ would be!

Yamask flew above Aegislash and Octillery crawled over to his side, both looking pretty triumphant.

Aegislash pushed himself up. His metal body could apparently bend, which surprised Corsola. Wasn't he made of metal, or something? Yeesh, how did his species work, anyway? Where did he even store his _dong?_... Did he even _have_ one?

"So... you guys think you're the winners, eh?" Aegislash mumbled with a tired chuckle.

"You bet, you shitty metal stick!" Octillery said.

"Y-Yeah!" Yamask piped in. "We've got you right where we want you!"

"Heh... same~" Aegislash replied, turning transparent. He phased through the ground.

Octillery and Yamask both yelped in surprise and moved closer to the spot he'd gone through.

Corsola's eyes widened. They widened even more when she saw the sword leap out of the floor behind them, hands bright with intense energy. He went high above them.

A hundred panicked thoughts went through her head. W-What should she do!? Shoot at Aegislash? Knock them out of the way? Run away?

... W-Wait! Call out! She had to call out! She yelled, "W-Watch o-...!"

Aegislash zipped downwards in front of Octillery and Yamask. He slammed his hand into the floor.

A massive geyser of molten gray energy poured out of the ground, completely engulfing all three of the boys. Yamask's and Octillery's screams were loud, but brief.

Corsola couldn't stop herself from shaking in fear. Oh, _Arceus alive!_

Aegislash's huge laser evaporated after several seconds, leaving behind a big, burnt crater. The only patch left unmarked was the very middle, where Aegislash was knelt down with both hands against the floor. All of his metallic skin looked red and painful.

Octillery and Yamask fell from the sky and landed in the crater, completely black with soot. They didn't look like they were getting up again anytime soon.

The hundreds of panicked thoughts going through Corsola's mind turned into thousands. This was bad...! Everyone had been knocked out but _her!_ Oh no, oh no... She couldn't handle the pressure!

"Y-Yeesh!" Snorlax cried to Aegislash, eyes widened. "Did you have to use Steel Beam on them so recklessly?"

Aegislash slowly stood upright, not floating. "Heh... gotta win... somehow, right...?" he said, sounding like every word was a strain.

Snorlax put his paws to his hips with a dry frown. "Tsk. So much for taking it easy..."

Oh, crap, Corsola had to act fast, before the fight was declared over!

She looked around frantically. Her eyes fell on the emera in her hands.

Well... that was _one_ idea! It wouldn't heal her, exactly, so...!

She crushed it in her hands and poured it on her face. She could feel powerful energy pour through every vein in her body at once, like it was liquid electricity. All of the colors in her vision looked super bright, especially those of her now-light-blue hands.

Wow... this was _amazing!_ It really _was_ drugs, like those tiny mushrooms, or stardusts she'd heard about!

"Huh? Oh!" Snorlax suddenly said in surprise. "Corsola, you're still up and running, huh?" He paused. "... Why're you all turquoise?"

Aegislash looked in her direction, eye widened in shock. "... Huh. Didn't think you'd come galloping back, Centaur." He strained, as if trying to do something. Apparently giving up, he let out a huff and began to hop towards her. "Well, I'm burnt, I can't hover or use my ability, and Steel Beam recoiled me something silly... Not to mention, you've used some sort of emera, for sure..." He hopped forwards some more, his bottom half faintly glowing. " _Buuut,_ with one more Sacred Sword in me, I still like my chances!"

Still buzzing from the emera, Corsola didn't feel scared. She had too much _energy_ to feel scared! "No way! Ohh, no way, no way, no _way!_ " she yelled, producing bubbles all around her body. She filled them with energy, energy and _more_ energy, making them grow _massive._ "Put _this_ in your pipe and smoke it! _Whooo!_ " She shook her body to and fro as fast as she could.

The humongous bubbles chaotically whipped around the arena, going whichever way they pleased. She barely heard Aegislash murmur out, "Eheh, oh... never mind, this is gonna suck," and hop around, trying to avoid them.

A stray bubble caught him, however, engulfing him and taking him along for the ride. It tumbled around, smashing him into the floor, some rocks and other bubbles at breakneck speeds. After a while, it flew up high and popped, letting Aegislash tumble down to noisily crash into the floor, sending stone fragments flying.

All of the bubbles burst noisily, leaving a shower of water to pour down on the arena.

Corsola calmed down from her emera high, and all the bright, blurry colors in her vision returned to normal. Her hands returned to their normal pink color, too.

She blinked several times. Wow... that sure had been something.

As the water stopped pouring down, a wave of tiredness hit her all at once. Oh man... even with Hustle and that emera giving her Bubble a boost, she'd still had to use up a ridiculous amount of energy for doing all that. She was pretty spent, now.

Snorlax stared at Aegislash's unmoving body. "Wow, uh... good job, Corsola!" he praised, rubbing water off his own head. "You really outdid yourself, there!"

"I, um... Y-Yeah!" she replied, not really believing the results herself. She really _was_ the last one standing, wasn't she? Her friends, having been unaffected by her bubbles - aside from being a bit soggy, now - were still lying where they'd fainted... and Aegislash...

Gulping, she cautiously approached Aegislash's collapsed form, wondering if that really was it. Had she... actually won? He looked unconscious, so...

When she was close enough, his hand suddenly shot towards her face.

She shrieked and leapt back, cowering. Nothing happened for a while, so she looked back at him. His hand was pulling an 'okay' gesture.

"Hah... it's your win," he mumbled. His hand collapsed to the floor.

"Haha, you heard it from him, first! Well done!" Snorlax replied, clapping for her.

She let out a giggle of sheer disbelief. Her giggles soon turned into full-on laughter as she did a celebratory back-flip. Wow, she'd done it~! Sure, it'd only been the last attack on an already weak opponent, but... it'd worked~!

She'd only started exploring for the sake of her little sister, but maybe... maybe she actually had a shot at this dungeoning business, after all!

She looked over at the others. Buneary... Yamask... and even Octillery, too. She would have never managed it without their help, so when they woke up, she had to give them all a _big_ hug and a cheer!

... Hmm, though Yamask was extremely awkward - as cute as it was to see him flounder - and Octillery sort of scared the shit out of her. And hugging Buneary just on her own would seem sort of weird.

... Okay, maybe just the cheering, then.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

**Finished:** 31/12 (December)/2020 (Merry belated Christmas, and Happy New Year! :D)

 **Word count:** 12,093 (Oh, Christ, sorry! O,o If it makes you feel any better, the next few chapters should hopefully calm down a bit, now that we've almost left the shitty bluff)

 **VGS2's sausage notes:**... I fucking forgot that Remoraid had the Twist Band on him, at its one moment to shine. Jesus Christmas... XD Had to rewrite a lot of the battle as a result, goddamn it!

... Actually, I screwed up with Hustle, too. (It only affects physical moves, not special ones). Oh well, whatever. As long as I don't make Swift miss, or let a starter pokémon win against someone who's heavily handicapped, I'm sure it'll be fine!

Ah well. At least we're finally done with the bluff, more or less. Huzzah! :D Next chapter, it's time to go back to the guild, make some more friends, and maybe even find out how to avoid freezing to death in the shower! :P

By the way, ravengal suggested the title 'Sasspot Grumpig', because I'm bad as Hell with names. 'Sasspot' might actually be a British-ism, but aww, whatever. I'm from the United Dictatorship of Great Britain, so me accent's bound to slip, guvnah! XP

 **Today's shameless promotion:** [Free 'n' Forth](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13493435/1/Pokemon-Mystery-Dungeon-Free-N-Forth)

 **Author:** [NeonYoshi](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7344455/NeonYoshi) (though he's called DarkestCcino on other sites)

 **Universe:** Mystery Dungeon (Mostly an originalverse, but with elements of other MD games)

 **Main species:** A minccino and a shinx

 **Summary:** A Pokemon Mystery Dungeon story. On the Stone Continent east of the other continents, a young minccino named Tamin runs away from her abusive family into the wilderness. She soon meets with a shinx named Locke and they join an exploration guild together. But it doesn't take long for both to learn that evil can be found not just in criminals, but within the guild itself.

 **Romance:** Lots, but nothing especially sappy!

 **Wackiness:** Not too much! Despite some quirky levity here and there, it's mostly grounded!

 **Lewdness:** Except for some offscreen shenanigans, none really! (Unless a scene from the original version makes an appearance, cough cough)

 **Action:** A fair amount!

 **Grittiness:** A surprisingly high amount!

 **Length:** Very long!

This fic is actually a rewrite of a fic of the same name on the writer's [Deviant Art](https://www.deviantart.com/darkestccino/journal/Pokemon-Free-N-Forth-Table-of-Contents-OG-draft-779555335) profile. (Yeah, believe it or not, that, too, counts as a fanfiction site!)

Reading the original, I can safely say that there's a ton of things to expect. Most of which you _wouldn't_ expect. Not to mention, the rewrite is adding content that wasn't in the original, making it even better! The characters in the fic make it very memorable, so I'd recommend giving it a good check! :P

* * *

 **Fun mistakes of the day: #1:** 'Yamask said, **looing** just as amazed.'

(Hold it in, Yamask!)

 **#2:** '"What? Going _underground?_ " Remoraid argued. " **You won't find any sunlight down _there!_** " [Etc etc] "Actually, on the second-to-last floor..." Snorlax interjected, grinning, "there's an extra special surprise waiting." [Etc etc] " **S'it that big hole in the wall where you see-?** " Remoraid started, until he was shushed by Snorlax.'

(So... Remoraid's questioning being able to see sunlight underground... but he knows that there's a hole on the floor under him, where you can see the outside, where the sunlight is...? Um, okay. Whatever you say, octopus gun fish. XD)

 **#3:** 'It was strange, but the cheering really perked her up. **She was good at her job!** '

(Clearly! Now because of Corsola, Buneary's getting a big dick and praising herself randomly.)

 **#4:** 'The same glow began to surround Buneary felt herself begin to float in the air against **the will** ,'

(This reminds me of those inherited will things from PokeMaster64's Bandits of the Forest. I sure hope there's one for flying!)

 **#5:** 'she spotted Yamask and Corsola still **duking it out the chingling** , as Snorlax watched on in worry, and Aegislash in vague interest.'

(Duking it out the chingling? Sounds rather sexual. No wonder they're being watched so much!)

 **#6:** 'Taking a deep breath and keeping a tight grip on the **wan,** '

(Is it a dog? That's how they bark according to the Japanese, after all. "Wan, wan!")

 **#7:** 'Seeming to notice the big lapse in attention, Yamask broke free of the Psychic attack and flew a short distance away, out of the way. Gasping in happy realization, Buneary turned her wand on **him** and fired.'

(I forgot to mention the chingling, so it now looks like Buneary's turned traitorous. XD Should've learned the IQ skill 'Non-Traitor', from the first two games.)

 **#8:** 'The wand had splintered on its third use, becoming useless. Oh well... [etc] As Buneary aimed the wand at her, **ready to fire again** ,'

(Um... I've got bad news for you, Buneary. XD)

 **#9:** 'Buneary **lowed** the wand.'

(According to the internet, to 'low' means to moo, like a cow. Did equipping that wand turn Buneary into a miltank? Considering it always has its udders on display, maybe so...)

 **#10:** 'it was common for kecleons to travel and scour dungeons to **sale** things to anyone passing by'

(His favourite dungeon is Steam Cave, where he puts lots of things on sale constantly.)

 **#11:** 'To fill in the **dear** air, she decided to speak.'

(Ruining that dear, precious oxygen by filling it with Co2. It's a good job the floor's filled with plants, Buneary.)

 **#12:** 'Seeming to get away with just a **grave,** he made it through'

(RIP In Peace)

 **#13:** '"You son of a-" **Remorad** started before **growing** and leaping out of the water'

(Not only did he turn into a radical dude, but he apparently turned giant, too. Is this what they call gigantamaxing? Aka, Mega Evolving and Z-Move-using, but bigger and weirder-looking?)

 **#14:** 'She felt the weird **sensation rings** of the energy pass through, wrapping around Aegislash as they reached him.'

(Lol, I don't know what happened, but it sounds like Aegislash is in for a good time!)

 **#15:** 'She jumped over it as it carved the air below her and **lunged for him**.'

(I guess his attack boomeranged back and hit him, instead. Is he Frieza?)

 **#16:** 'She tumbled into a **pong'**

(*Buneary gets battered about by some white sticks*)

 **#17:** '"So it _is_ Haze?" **THE FISH YELLED** '

(Apparently, he yelled so hard that Buneary's POV joined in with the yelling. My poor ears.)

 **#18:** 'Buneary found **himself** worrying about him.'

(So Buneary has breasts, but is male...? O,o Um, let's just say that we'd better not take this to either Twitter or a furry website. XP)

 **#19:** 'Aegislash's eye widened in **suyrprtiosu'**

(Imagine winning a challenging fight just because your opponent had a stroke.)

 **#20:** '"[Blahblah]" Aegislash said, sounding surprised. "You're just full of **surprised,** ain't'cha?"'

(It's like reading a bad manga translation, or something. XP "I am surprised!" "You're just full of surprised, aren't you?" "What you say!?")

 **#21:** 'Her two comrades seemed like they **was** starting to get worn out,'

(Innit, mate! On that note, don't forget that most British people from London-ish places talk like this. Don't believe the lies that we're a fancy lot, 'cos we isn't, mate.)

 **#22:** 'Corsola watched in glee. Wow, what a **critical attack!'**

(Wow, what a nerd. XD I guess she plays lots of RPGs.)

 **#23:** 'He was smashed into **giant bubbles,** '

(Lol, I made it sound like he was hit so hard, he dissolved into bubbles. Either that or he was executed Bubble Bobble style. RIP In Bubble.)

 **#24:** 'Aegislash murmured out a comment and **hoped** around, trying to avoid them.'

(I see he tried to pray the bubbles away.)

 **#25:** 'And **higging** Buneary just on her own would seem sort of weird.'

(You're right about that...)

\- Bonus mistake from ravengal's PikaBun one-shot collection one-shot, Designer Wear -

 **#26:** 'Buneary couldn't help her **heat** exploding in joy at that.'

(Clearly Pikachu's been giving her a good time in rg's latest one-shot, eh? The wonders of good fashion!)

\- Bonus mistake from ravengal's fic, Shallow Waters -

 **#27:** 'Pikachu's worsening **wood** '

(Lol, while taking notes, something went wrong. And when the topic was about romance, too... XD So much can change when you flip the first letter upside down, apparently.)

 **#28:** 'It popped open, and Pansage appeared in a flash of "(Yeah!)"'

(I appreciate the enthusiasm!)

 **#29:** 'She flew past **both** **Ash.** '

(Like we needed more of the bastard.)

 **#30:** 'Tornadus reminded him of a **bra** '

(Despite his manly chest, I guess. Kek, honestly, it just makes me imagine him in women's clothing, which is a funny image. XD)

* * *

Ah well, that's me done for this year! Thanks again for reading! :P

Here's hoping you review, favourite and Comrades, and I'll see ya next year! Tata for now! c:


	8. The Golden Result

**VGS2's notes:** Oh, important note! I went back and fixed up chapter one so that Buneary actually properly gives a toss about seeing one of her heroes.

Alos, I haven't done it yet, but I'm planning on renaming 'powered moves' into 'power moves', because 'powered moves' sounds nerdy and lame. Well, to me, anyway. If you preferred the older name, or can think of a better one, feel free to tell me!

In Comrades, I also changed Baram Square into Unity Square, just because... well, at first, I just gonna combine the two places together (Pokémon Square from the first game, and Baram Town from the shit game), but naw, feck it, mate. The two places are too different, so I thought it'd be more interesting to split 'em up. (It's not important right now, but still!)

I mean, I could have just kept it as Pokémon Square, but naww, mate, that's boring. It's sorta like Friendship is Magic. We have Canterlot, Rainbow Falls, Manehatten, Saddle Arabia, and... Ponyville... XD I guess the real life equivalent would be 'Human Town' or something, right?

Ah well, whatever. I can't bring myself to like MLP anymore. Lately, it kind of pulled a Teen Titans Go/Thundercats Roar/Pokémon Journeys, by rebooting itself and ruining all the characters everyone liked just for cheap laughs. Grumble, grumble...

... Oh, right, the chapter. XD Enjoy yourself, my dear reader!

 **Last time:** The gang fought an annoying sword, and then there were drugs (sort of)!

* * *

* * *

Several minutes ago, Buneary had woken up to some delightful news from Snorlax and Corsola. They'd won the fight against Aegislash! It had been down to the wire, but it had all worked out!

The news had made her giddy with joy. Especially since, unlike most times in the past, she'd actually helped out this time, as shocking as that was. Oh, she was so happy~

Thanks to a stash of tiny reviver seeds, oran berries and ethers from Snorlax's bag, everyone had been fully revitalized, including Aegislash. Currently, they were standing around near the fountain, finishing off their food and drinks while praising each other for the job well done. Or just saying teasing things, in Aegislash's case.

Buneary wiggled around in happiness while drinking her celebratory ether. Thanks to their victory, its odd, yet refreshing taste was extra delicious as it went down, tickling her throat with the bubbles.

Letting out a breath from finishing his own drink, Aegislash put his hands behind his head. "Well, you've heard it enough already, but congrats, greenies!" He sighed, though with his usual air of amusement. "I know I went easy, but it's still sort of embarrassing, losing to newcomers."

"Hah, too bad!" Octillery said, looking smug. "I told you we'd kick your flat ass, and I meant it!"

"Clearly!" He tossed his empty ether bottle over his shoulder at Snorlax, who flusteredly grabbed it before it fell. "So, then... want me to tell you how I thought you guys fared?" he continued.

" _No,_ " Octillery retorted, frowning at him.

Aegislash huffed amusedly. "Oh, come on, don't be so serious. I had something positive to say, too, believe it or not!"

"Don't let his looks fool you," Snorlax added, putting the empty bottle in his bag. "He's actually pretty clever when it comes to what makes a good fighter."

"Well, I-I... guess _I'd_ like to hear," Buneary said, against her better judgment. She wanted to improve, after all...

"It couldn't hurt, I guess," Yamask agreed.

"It'll be embarrassing, but hey," Corsola said with a sheepish smile.

Octillery let out a long huff and shrugged exasperatedly with multiple tentacles. "Fine, do your friggin' worst, whatever," he relented.

"Heh, good!" Aegislash said, smirking as much as one can do with only an eye for a face. He indicated toward Yamask. "Hieroglyph, you obviously like your... what to call them... I guess 'disruption attacks' a lot, don't you?"

Yamask scratched his chin in thought. "Huh? Disruption...?" he asked.

"Sure! You scare people with Astonish... you weaken people with Haze, while also using it like a smokescreen... you burn people with Will-O-Wisp... and Night Shade... well, that's sorta disruptive, I guess. Bit of a random one, really, now that I think about it, but hey. Oh, and there's that ability of yours, too." The sword clicked his fingers and pointed at the wisp in one motion. "You're a disrupter!"

"Wow, you think?" Yamask replied, looking surprised. He stalled. "Er... wait, is that a bad thing?"

"Not if your teammates aren't awful! It'll help 'em do good themselves, won't it?" Aegislash explained. "You're pretty rash, though, so you should probably think about who's gonna go first and what you're gonna do, so you don't just mess up and waste time."

"Huh... okay, sure." Yamask looked down at his mask, seemingly in contemplation. "Well... gosh, I-I guess I never really thought about any of that, before. Er, thanks, I guess."

Aegislash nodded and turned his focus toward Octillery. " _Your_ strategy, Cannon... well, I wasn't sure at first. One second you're sniping from a distance, the next, you're getting up in people's faces, ready to maul 'em..."

"Well, no shit!" Octillery snapped. "I have _Moody,_ don't I?"

"Got _that_ right..." Snorlax mumbled under his breath bemusedly. With her sensitive hearing, Buneary heard him and nearly giggled.

"Yep!" Aegislash replied to Octillery. "That makes your strengths and weaknesses change whenever you get emotional enough, right? Something I learned when escorting a smeargle somewhere, once, to 'Sketch Ho-Oh's strongest move', or whatever."

Buneary's ear unrolled in surprise. "What!? A _legendary?_ " she exclaimed.

"Heh, you heard right." The sword stretched and chuckled. "Never happened, though. The big chicken went and screwed off over to Paradise to set up shop, or something, so Smeargle ended up paying me for nothing~"

"Oh yeah, Ho-Oh... he had the Rainbow Dojo," Yamask said.

Buneary stared at them, unable to believe her ears. Just casually talking about meeting legendaries like this? Really!?

She rolled her ear back up, though she still couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sure, a lot of legendary pokémon were starting to integrate with society nowadays, according to some of the books she'd read... but it was still sort of surreal. She wondered how she'd react if _she_ ever met a legendary.

"Ey, don't change the topic!" Octillery cut in irritably. "What's Moody gotta do with jack!?"

"Well, to be blunt..." Aegislash started, relaxing his limbs again, "your fighting style changes too much, so I guess it's just whatever."

Octillery blinked. "W-What? 'Whatever'? That's _it?_ "

The sword shrugged. "Pretty much. I guess you're mad all the time, and you have an aggressive bunch of moves, too. So there's that. An aggressor style, maybe? Hmm..." He tapped his finger against his 'chin' before shrugging again. "Well, either way, you're a tough cookie, I can tell _that_ much. I'll have to keep an eye on you~"

Octillery huffed and crossed his front tentacles. It was hard to tell if he was flattered, but was trying to hide it... or if he was just ticked off. "Well, whatever. Thanks, I guess..."

Aegislash turned to face Corsola, who stopped eating an oran berry to give him a wide-eyed stare in either surprise or anticipation.

"You're..." Aegislash started before stopping to chuckle. "Well, I've already done you, haven't I? Well, just keep doing that, but with better teamwork, or something." He put his hand to his hip. "Heh, or if you _have_ to stay on the sidelines, maybe that cheering you keep doing is good enough. Boost the motivation, and all that."

"Um... okay. That's okay," she replied. She wiped her brow with a relieved breath. "Y'know, for a second, I thought you were gonna just call me utter garbage, and leave it at that."

Aegislash laughed. "Well... better find some clothes that stop your abilities from getting diddled with. Let's leave it at _that._ "

She smiled sheepishly. "Got'cha."

Buneary gulped. Oh dear. If everyone else was done, then that meant...

Aegislash's eye locked gazes with hers. A spike of shyness made her look away.

"Hmm..." he mumbled, continuing to stare at her. Eventually, he ended on a light shrug. "Well, really, your fighting style's the easiest one to figure out."

She looked back at him. "Um... it is?" she asked.

"Yup." He huffed in amusement. "It's nothing."

She stared at him in utter confusion. "... N-Nothing!?"'

"Nothing!"

She felt dejected. Was she so poor at exploring that he had nothing to say about her?

"H-Hey, that's so mean!" Yamask argued. "She's so cool, you should've seen her! She kicked Marowisp's _butt!_ "

"Hell yeah!" Octillery added. "She helped win us the dumb fight against _you,_ too! So don't just fuckin' stand there and say 'nothin'!"

Aegislash laughed. "Why not? Is it bad to have no fighting style?" he asked cheekily.

"Well, it doesn't sound _good,_ " Corsola said. "Buneary's better than I am, and even _I_ got a fighting style!"

"Let me guess, Aegislash..." Snorlax said with a drawn out huff, "you're just saying that to rile them up, aren't you?"

"Haha, well, I won't deny it," Aegislash replied. He shrugged exaggeratedly. "Since you guys are so serious, I guess I'll rephrase." He pointed at Buneary. "You're an all-rounder, Teddy. You have no style, because you're a jack of all trades." He paused before snickering. "Maybe I should've said a 'jack rabbit' of all trades, eh? Ah well."

Buneary huffed in amusement, while Snorlax, Corsola and Yamask chuckled.

"Oh, thank legends, he didn't say 'jack teddy,' or some dumb shit..." Octillery muttered, readjusting his twisted headband.

"So... how am I an 'all-rounder'?" Buneary asked, not entirely sure if she liked the news she was hearing.

Aegislash paused briefly for thought. "Heh... let's just say that fights with you will always be interesting, one way or another!" he answered.

"Huh? B-But..." Buneary stammered. She pouted, "that didn't help at all, though..."

"I said I'd tell you your fighting styles. I didn't say I'd..." The sword paused, blinking. He put his arms behind his head. "Actually, I didn't say that at all, did I?"

Snorlax clicked his tongue. "No, you said you'd tell them how they fared against you," he reminded him, an air of sassiness to his voice.

"So I did. Haha, ah well, judge me all you want, but I'm moving the goalposts."

Buneary's pout deepened. Oh, bother...

Well, being an 'all-rounder' didn't sound bad, at least. Even if she didn't really know what to make of it.

Aegislash moved over and grabbed his bag from the floor. "Anyways... it's about time I headed off to make fun of my teammates," he said, slinging it around himself.

" _Yes! **Thank** you, Arceus!_" Octillery yelled, head raised as if speaking directly to the Heavens.

"Heh, I'll miss you, too!"

"H-Hey, not so fast, Aegislash!" Yamask cut in, frowning. "You said you'd 'make it worth our while'! You promised!"

Octillery's eyes flared. "Hey, the dweeb's _right!_ Where's our reward!?" he demanded.

Yamask's frown turned into a displeased one. "I really wish you'd stop calling me th-"

Aegislash clicked his 'tongue'. "And here I thought I could get away with just some good advice, too," he said, though sounding more amused than disappointed. "Oh, well, fine. Since you asked first, Hieroglyph, I'll give it to _you._ " He reached into his bag. "After all... I'm sure you'll know _exactly_ what to do with it, hm?"

Buneary watched the wisp's face change from excitement, to curiosity, to confusion, to abject horror in real time, as the sword pulled out several bars of gold from his bag.

Buneary looked at him in worry. Why did he look so distraught? Those gold bars looked so pretty!

"Heh, wonder how much _these_ 'sparklies' are worth," Aegislash murmured with two gold bars in each hand. He shrugged apathetically. "Oh well, here you are. You'll know more than _I_ do~" He tossed all four gold bars at Yamask.

The wisp yelped and tried to catch them. He only caught two of them, letting the others fall to the ground with a thud. He stared at all of them as if they were going to explode.

"Welp, with that, I'm done!" Aegislash said. He held a hand high, allowing it to glow. " _Adios, amigos!_ "

He slammed his hand against the ground, causing an explosion of gray, molten energy to pour out of the ground.

Buneary squealed and covered her face. She slowly peeked over her paws.

Aegislash was gone, leaving a crater where he'd once been.

Everyone stared at the spot blankly.

Snorlax sighed loudly. "Always the show off..." he said. He chuckled lightly. "He might seem like a bad guy, y'know, but I think he just really likes getting attention."

"Yeah... I don't think he's all that bad..." Buneary said in agreement. "A bit over the top, maybe, but..."

"You're both wrong, he's a friggin' asswipe!" Octillery said, slapping a tentacle against the ground in irritation. "If I ever see him _or_ his dumb team again, I'll kill 'em _dead!_ "

"Octillery..." Buneary mumbled. He could be so grumpy, sometimes...

Looking over at Corsola for her reaction, she saw the coral ignoring the conversation to look in Yamask's direction, frowning in worry. "Yamask, um... you're lookin' sorta green, there," she said, putting a hand to her chin. "You doing alright?"

Everyone looked at Yamask. He'd dropped all the gold bars to the floor - maybe because he'd shielded himself from Aegislash's fancy exit, as well - and was staring at them with absolute disgust and despair.

"I... _hate_ gold bars," he muttered out.

"How could you hate _these_ things?" Corsola asked, wandering over to pick one up and look at it.

Moving closer herself, Buneary picked up another one. Although a little weighty, its shimmer in the sunlight immediately captivated her. "Wow... it sparkles~" she chimed. She looked up at Yamask. "Do you not like the look, Yamask?"

"It's not that," Yamask replied. "It's just... ugh..." He took a deep breath, "... my species _eats_ these."

Buneary and Corsola gasped and looked up at him in shock.

"I-It's made of metal, Yamask!" Buneary yelped. "You can't eat this!"

"I wish we couldn't... but we do! Er, c-can!" He pulled a face, as if he was about to vomit. "And my family's _obsessed_ with them! So we ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. All day, every day." He balled both of his shaking fists. "Aghh, I was so _sick_ of them! I can't even stand _looking_ at them!"

Buneary looked at him with a sad frown. Oh dear, poor Yamask...

"Well, that explains the gold gummi incident last month..." Snorlax mumbled, cringing.

"Yeesh..." Corsola said, frowning sadly. "I _already_ don't want to imagine what a gold bar tastes like, so that sounds like Hell."

"It was..." Yamask grumbled.

"Sorry to hear it," Octillery said with a displeased huff. He shrugged and took on a pleased look. "Well, I'll take 'em, if you hate 'em that much. They look like they'll net me a _bomb_ , like them gold ribbons!"

"Sure, but... well, good luck," Yamask replied. He fiddled with his mask. "My dad told me that 'it's a cofagrigus' duty to stalk any kecleon stores that sell gold bars'... so they, er... stopped bothering to take them in, after that."

Octillery pulled a face. "Aww fuck. So they won't even _buy_ 'em, s'at what you're sayin'?"

"Makes enough sense," Snorlax said. "They've rejected them from me, before." His smile grew tight lipped. "... Never knew it was because of your family, though, Yamask. Eheh..."

"Y-Yeah, sorry..." Yamask mumbled, looking somewhat red.

"Wow, Yamask..." Corsola said, looking somewhat amused, "I can't believe your family affected the whole gold bar economy of the _world._ That's some kind of accomplishment!"

The wisp covered his face with his mask. "Ughhh, don't remind me..."

"Well, if these gold bars are useless, _then_ what?" Octillery said, looking disappointed. "We totally got friggin' stiffed, didn't we?"

Buneary smiled at him reassuringly. "I dunno... they're really pretty, so that's nice~" she said.

Octillery huffed. "I guess..." He huffed again, more irritably. "But pretty lumps of _shit_ don't pay for Kakuna and Slugma's damned shopping! That friggin' sword is _dead!_ "

Buneary's smile fell. Well, she'd tried...

"W-Wait, I just thought of something!" Yamask said, waving his hands to calm the octopus. "My team were gonna go to the Mist Continent anyway, later... so I'll stop by my dad's place at Glorious Gold and hand off those gold bars, if you want."

"What'll _that_ get us?" Octillery asked.

"Well, anything you want! Just name it, and I'll bring it back by tonight! Like... some baking, or a TM, or... a flag, or looplet, or... er, something."

"Baked goods? Ooh, yes please~!" Buneary replied, clapping her paws together excitedly. She stopped when she noticed everyone staring in amusement. "Um... I like them," she mumbled, face going warm.

Yamask let out a laugh. "Sure, um... noted."

"Oh, Buneary, you're so special," Corsola said with a giggle, making the rabbit even more embarrassed. The coral turned to Yamask with a look of curiosity. "So, what's the deal with flags? Gold bars for some ol' decoration feels like a bit much."

"They're not for decorating," Yamask corrected. "When you wear it instead of scarves, it'll help out all your friends! Er, but not _you,_ though." He smiled. "Great for teamwork!"

Corsola put her hands together, smiling excitedly. "Ooh, sign me up, then! Thanks!"

Buneary tilted her head. Come to think of it... in her book, Gates To Infinity, it'd been mentioned that Underdog Dunsparce had saved his wife-to-be, Virizion, with an expert use of flags. Those items must be powerful!

... Not that it mattered, with Buneary having Klutz and all. Tsk...

Catching herself before she could sigh, the rabbit shook her head and smiled at Octillery. "How about you, Octillery? Anything _you_ fancy?" she asked.

"Dunno, depends," Octillery replied. "Has he got some useful dungeon shit I can use?"

"Like apples and reviver seeds and stuff?" Yamask asked. When Octillery nodded with a grunt, the wisp smiled eagerly. "Well, sure! You can get a _lot_ with high quality gold bars like these!"

"Oh, neat. I'll take those, then. Cheapest ones ya got, thanks."

"Sure thing!"

"Looks like you saved the day, Yamask!" Snorlax praised.

" _Wooo, Yamask!_ " Corsola cheered, hopping up and down while waving her arms.

"Um, you go, Yamask!" Buneary joined in, cheering while pumping a fist.

"Yeah, you're not half bad, man," Octillery agreed.

The wisp's face went red as he smiled bashfully. "Gee, I-I didn't even do _much..._ but thanks, everyone!" he replied, looking off to the side with an awkward chuckle.

Everyone soaked in more of the levity for a while, until Snorlax piped up.

"Well, guys, it's about time we headed back, I'd say," he said, reaching for his chest. He felt at it for a while until stalling. He looked down at his front with a blank look. "... Oh, damn, I left my badge back at base."

Corsola and Yamask's faces fell. Seeing that, Buneary got a bit worried.

"Umm... w-what does that mean?" she asked.

"Well..." Yamask started, grimacing, "when you're at the end of a dungeon, you can use your badge to teleport back to the entrance. Or you can use an escape orb whenever if you have one, I guess, but..."

Buneary's ear dipped, realizing what he was getting at. "Oh, dear... we're gonna have to go back through that bluff, again, aren't we?" she muttered.

"'Fraid so..." Snorlax said with a sigh. He smiled sheepishly. "Guess that's what happens when I get a bit too excited to drag you around the bluff, huh? Eheh..."

Buneary pulled a face. Well, the badges they'd been given in the Blazing Squad hadn't been able to teleport _anyone_. So it wasn't like she wasn't used to backtracking through dungeons... but still.

Well, at least this wouldn't be as hard as going through the whole of Treasure Island and back again. That had taken several _days!_

"Ya friggin' dope!" Octillery chastised Snorlax. "And they say you rescued the world, or some shit, too!"

"... Donphan took care of most of the preparations, so... y-yeah... urk..." the bear replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ughh, no friggin' kidding!" Octillery retorted. He reached for his front and took something off. A reflective, metallic badge, with shiny black wings and a golden button in the middle.

Buneary's eyes lit up at the pretty badge. Oh yeah, she'd forgotten all about that.

"Hey, great thinking, Octillery! You're a life saver!" Snorlax praised.

Buneary's eyes lit up even more when she realized what he meant by that. "Oh, yeah~ Does that mean you can take us all back?" she asked.

"Yup. I'm stayin' to go get more stuff, but you guys can get back. Whatever works." He let out a loud, drawn out huff. "... I shoulda been outta this dump _ages_ ago, but them's the fuckin' breaks."

"Oh... sorry," she muttered guiltily.

Octillery shrugged. "S'alright, doesn't matter." The sides of his tube-like mouth seemed to lift up in a grin. "'Ey, it was even fun. You bastards are alright! Hang out with me sometime, yeah?"

Buneary brightened again. "Yeah, definitely~!"

"Sounds good!" Yamask added.

"We'll, um... we'll see!" Corsola replied, smiling widely. It looked slightly stretched, for some reason.

"Hope that includes me," Snorlax said with a smirk.

Octillery gave him a weird look. "Eh? You too?" He paused for a second before shrugging. "Well, it'll be weird, but cool, sure," he replied.

Snorlax's smirk faded to an awkward smile. "Hah. Weird, he says..."

Everyone said their goodbyes to Octillery as he held the badge up. While it began to glow, he had one final thing to say, "Ey, by the by, if you see Slugma or my bro, Kakuna, tell 'em Death Threat Octillery's comin' soon!'"

"Will do," Corsola replied with a wave.

Buneary looked at him in surprise. 'Death Threat' Octillery? Why, there was more to him than _that_!

She considered saying something, but a light from the octopus' badge shone on her. She felt all of her molecules being sucked into a single point, before flying away.

* * *

Buneary reformed on the top of a steep, rocky hill coated in thick grass, or moss. Once she was whole, she shakily had to grip her head as her brain tried to regain its bearings.

Ughh, she hadn't teleported much, before, so she hadn't expected it to make her so _dizzy_. She suddenly felt sort of sympathetic to those she'd punched with Dizzy Punch in the past...

Before long, she saw some white lights start to bundle together near her. They formed into the shape of Corsola, Snorlax and Yamask before dissipating.

Buneary greeted them eagerly, even though she was still put off by Octillery's title. Well, at least the octopus seemed okay with it. Whichever pokémon had started calling him that clearly didn't know him well enough, though...

After everyone greeted her back, Snorlax let out a big breath. "Well, that concludes the escort mission!" he said, giving everyone a bright smile. "It was a bumpy road, but you guys did great!"

Buneary and her friends hollered out a cheer. She even found herself hopping in joy. Hearing him say that was such an ego boost~

After letting out a chuckle, Snorlax indicated towards a nearby slope, which made for a safe pathway. It led downwards, towards Venture Village, which she could see in the distance. "How about we head on back to the guild? There's a lot to sort out, after all, isn't there?"

"Yep!" Corsola agreed. "Gotta let Whimsicott know I haven't abandoned her."

Buneary glanced out over the steep hill's edge. She got a lovely bird's-eye view of the whole beach that made up Venture Village, bustling with pokémon that were walking around, going about their lives.

A bubbly feeling of excitement worked its way through her system. Sure, she'd already seen the village once, since she'd walked through it on her way to the guild... but, now that she wasn't focused solely on her nerves, she was able to appreciate it a _lot_ more!

She eagerly took in every detail she could. From the many colorful, uniquely shaped buildings scattered about across its yellow sands... to the bright sun shining above the calm, blue sea near the village... and finally to the rock pool making up its center, complete with a fountain in the middle.

Although the high height made her nervous, she couldn't stop a beaming smile from working its way onto her lips. This was really her new home, wasn't it? Where she would come back from her adventures, meet up with her friends, and prepare herself for even _more_ adventures. Ohh, she couldn't wait~

"Y'know..." Yamask started, "I can sorta see why they call this place a bluff, now. After what Aegislash said."

"Yeah..." Buneary replied. "Not just the mossy place, but it's overlooking the beach and ocean, too!"

"Yup!" Corsola agreed gleefully. "Certainly much prettier _this_ side~"

Buneary nodded with a smile. "I guess it is!"

Snorlax huffed out a chuckle. His mouth opened in surprise, before he grinned and pointed towards the village below. "Oh, hey, speaking of Whimsicott, I think I see her!"

"Oh, yep, that's her alright!" Corsola chimed, peering over.

"Huh?" Buneary said, taking a look. She didn't know what a whimsicott was, so she paid extra attention to where they were pointing.

Squinting, she eventually spotted a brown pokémon with green, curvy horns around the side of her face, and a treasure bag around her waist. Notably, the back of her head was completely overtaken by a large ball of what seemed to be fluff.

Currently, she was talking to someone who was out of view, due to a dark blue building separating the two. Presumably a shop clerk across a counter.

Buneary tilted her head. Huh, what sort of species _was_ she? A sheep, maybe? It was hard to tell from the far distance.

"I wonder if she's noticed I'm missing, yet?" Corsola wondered. Smiling, she hopped up and down while waving. " _Yoo-hooo~! Whimsicott~!_ "

Whimsicott didn't move a muscle, seemingly not hearing her. Unsurprising, considering how far away she was.

"Hmm... y'know, I should probably hide..." Yamask muttered worriedly. "I don't think Whimsicott likes me very much, ever since that time I was reaching for my mask, and accidentally grabbed... um..." He petered out into mumbles, leaving his story worryingly ambiguous.

Deciding not to ask, Buneary smiled reassuringly up at him. "I-It's okay! I'll bet it was just an accident," she told him, looking back at Whimsicott.

"Y-Yeah, but Whimsicott's kind of... um..."

Still watching Whimsicott, Buneary noticed someone coming up behind the sheep. Some pale-yellow, bipedal fox or cat-like thing with dark-pink arms and legs.

Buneary wouldn't have paid it any attention, but it was sneaking up behind Whimsicott in a strange way. What was it up to?

The strange pokémon suddenly brought up both paws and clapped them around the sides of Whimsicott's head, sending out a heavy spray of white dust. The sheep crashed against the counter, stunned.

Everyone in the group gasped.

"W-Whimsicott!" Corsola cried out in alarm.

"What's going on?" Buneary asked, holding a paw against her mouth in worry.

The aggressive pokémon suddenly unraveled something red and yellow from around Whimsicott's neck and ran away with it. It slipped into a group of huge rocks that were laid out next to the hill making up the bluff, and headed towards the slope up to where Buneary and her friends were standing.

"Ah, so _that's_ its game!" Yamask yelled. "It's an _outlaw!_ "

"O-Outlaw!?" Buneary squealed, nerves flaring. Oh, crud! An actual outlaw, doing outlaw things! And in broad daylight, too!?

What the heck!?

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

**Finished:** 12/02 (Feburary)/ 2021

 **Word count:** 4,381

 **VGS2's sausage notes:** Wah! Muh Whimsicoot got mugged! D: Hang in there, bby!

On another note... to be honest, in usual _me_ fashion, I sort of made the chapter too long, so now it's two chapters for the price of one, I guess. Hope you don't mind _too_ much! On the plus side, it means that the next one shouldn't take all that long to finish, so there's that!

By the way, the 'Rainbow Dojo' is made up by me. Well, sort of. In Gates to Infinity, you can have one dojo for each type, which is manned by a completely random mon... but I thought it'd be cooler to just have one dojo that covers all types, and is run by a pretty special pokémon, no less. Maybe we'll get to visit there one day in this fic!

 **Today's shameless promotion:**[The Sky's Not the Limit](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28492890/chapters/69817497)

 **Author:** [ArcherAmpharos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcherAmpharos/pseuds/ArcherAmpharos)

 **Universe:** Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky

 **Main species:** A cyndaquil and a skitty

 **Summary:** Months after they prevented the collapse of Temporal Tower, the formerly-human Cyndaquil and his partner are reunited thanks to Dialga's intervention. But Team Sunrise still has many more adventures ahead of them, as they return to being best friends, teammates... and maybe something more.

 **Romance:** Lots! It's fairly sappy and goes at a quick pace, too!

 **Wackiness:** Fairly grounded!

 **Lewdness:** Not at all!

 **Action:** A good amount!

 **Grittiness:** Not at all! (Maybe a mild amount, if the Darkrai storyline is covered)

 **Length:** Average length, from the looks of things!

Y'know, it seems that most times I read a Mystery Dungeon fic these days, they don't really seem to have many Mystery Dungeon elements, oddly. Some don't even bother having dungeons in them, believe it or not. XP (Not so bad when it's, like, a one-shot that focuses on specific characters, or something... but still.)

Not unlike Birds of a Feather, this fic truly does feel like a continuation of Explorers of Sky, though. It even has elements from the game, like traps and items and stuff, not unlike _this_ fic! Not to mention it has all the guildmembers from Sky you all know and love, but polished up a bit! It's quite a good little read, I'd say! :P Go and read, favourite, follow and review it right now!

* * *

 **Fun mistakes of the day:** **#1:** Thanks to a stash of tiny reviver seeds, oran berries and max **eithers,**

(The ultimate 'either, or' choice.)

 **#2:** "You're pretty rash, so rash"

(So rash.)

 **#3:** "Not if your **teammates** with good **teammates**! It'll help 'em"

(The teammates have teammates. Is this Three Houses, with all those battalions and whatnot?)

 **#4:** 'Octillery **snaped.'**

(Imagine if you were reading a Mystery Dungeon fic one day, and then one of the characters just randomly turns into a Harry Potter character.)

 **#5:** '"Yup." He huffed in amusement. "It's nothing." He stared at her in utter confusion. "N-Nothing!?"'

(Lol, pulling a Megaman X4, I see. XD

Zero: "... You made me do it! [Referring to characters he'd been forced to fight earlier]"  
Sigma (who's cosplaying as the grim reaper, for some reason): "No. You wanted to destroy them! Allow me to remind you that I was once the leader of the Maverick Hunters..."  
*A cutscene plays of Sigma when he was a good guy, trying to stop Zero, who was a crazy maverick at the time*  
Sigma: "Zero! You were a Maverick!?"  
Zero: "What's your point?! Are you that surprised?"

... What? Why _was_ Sigma surprised? He was there at the time! And I thought Zero didn't remember this stuff, so why's he acting so cocky about it...? Oh, what a shit game.)

 **#6:** 'He pointed at Buneary. " **You** an all-rounder,"'

(*Points at self* "Me, Aegislash.")

 **#7:** "And here I thought I could get away with just some good advice, too," he said, though **sounding more than disappointed** '

(I fucking forgot a word, so now Aegislash is morbidly depressed. That really ruined his day, apparently.)

 **#8:** "Baked goods? Ooh, **yesh** '

(Buneary, stop being drunk this instant! (That's for a later chapter after all, probably. XP))

 **#9:** '"Will **dio** " Corsola replied with a **wae**.'

(Do you know za wayudo?)

 **#10:** "Oh, thank legends, he didn't say 'jack Teddy,' or some **dub** shit for friggin' once..."

(Octillery is a man of culture who prefers the subs.)

 **#11:** 'but a light from the octopus' badge shone on **her enveloped Buneary**.'

(She has a little Buneary of her own, enveloped inside! It's a bit too soon for _that_ , though, isn't it? XP)

 **#12:** 'Favourite food: **Fires** with ketchup'

(I was writing down a character bio for some character or another in a fic, and then I did this shit. Sounds, er... tasty? XD Bit burnt, though.)

-When I was messing around with an online English to Scottish translator, just in case Herdier shows up sometime-

 **#13:** "Ah lik' haein a crakin' boaby up mah bahookie"

(I tested this English to Scots translator with the most ridiculous phrase I could think of, and it came back with the strangest sentence I ever heard in my life. Cracked me up something fierce. XD Your mission now is to guess what I wrote!)

-An RPG-maker horror-esque game called 'Just Ignore Them' that me and ravengal played recently-

 **#14:** "May I ask how she died?" "S-S-She **hug** her self!"

(Christ, she must have had some amazing arm strength. XD Needless to say, the scene was ruined.)

 **#15:** "And he wasn't the first **gut** to die, either!"

(When someone else loses weight in the gym first.)

* * *

Welp, that'll do it until next time, my dear reader! :P Thanks for reading, following, favouriting and/or reviewing, and I'll catch ya next time! Tata for now! c:


	9. The Outlaw's Punishment

**VGS2's notes:** Oh, I completely forgot to say it, last chapter... but there's a new poll on my [Fanfiction.Net profile](https://www.fanfiction.net/~vgs2thesexysausage)!

The topic is 'which Mystery Dungeon games have you played/watched (like in a let's play, or whatever)?' Go give it a look-see! Even if you've never played any of the games, I'd still like to hear about it, so no excuses, you. XP

Anyways, my dear reader... boop, boop de boop, enjoy your chapter! :P

**Last time:** Whimsicott got her ass stolen from!

* * *

* * *

Buneary continued to watch in horror as the yellow fox pokémon that had stolen from Whimsicott ran away. It was rapidly approaching the sloped pathway that led up to the top of the steep hill Buneary, Yamask, Corsola and Snorlax were standing on.

The rabbit was frankly horrified. A live daylight robbery! How absolutely horrible!

Paws held to her mouth, she couldn't stop shaking. Oh, man... what should she do? Should she help? It was a real, honest to goodness _criminal!_

Was this really the sort of thing those 'Water Rock Gang' members had wanted to do? She'd just fought them with the mentality of fighting a regular monster house, but... ohh, if she'd known they actually _had_ been planning to rob her, and hadn't just been blowing hot air, she might've completely locked up in fright.

Looking at the others, she was surprised to see that nobody else - maybe save for Yamask - was nervous at all. In fact, they seemed exasperated, even. Huh?

"Oh dear..." Snorlax mumbled, frowning with paws on hips. "That mienfoo has no idea who it stole from..."

"For sure..." Corsola agreed with a bemused breath.

Buneary gave them a questioning glance. What an ominous statement. What did they mean, exactly...?

The 'mienfoo' quickly started climbing the pathway as it reached it. It hadn't seemed to have noticed Buneary and the others, yet.

Yamask suddenly took off down the steep hill, flying toward the outlaw still a fair distance away. "It's alright, I'll stop him!" he shouted, preparing an attack.

The mienfoo suddenly stopped, glancing upwards in apparent shock. Frantically looking around for a short while, it leapt off the pathway and awkwardly scrambled across the grassy hill.

"That won't work, you outlaw!" Yamask shouted, flying diagonally downward to meet it.

While watching him, Buneary took a breath and mentally prepared herself to go down and help, somehow. She was afraid, but... Yamask had the right idea. They just couldn't let this outlaw escape with Whimsicott's scarf!

The wisp finally got close enough to the mienfoo to launch many Will-O-Wisp balls at it. "Give it back!" he yelled, still audible, even from such a distance.

The fiery balls quickly drifted towards the mienfoo, who was moving too slow to get away.

Before they reached the fox, leaves suddenly showered down from the sky, tearing up the hill in front of the mienfoo. Stumbling backwards in surprise, the fox lost its footing and tumbled down the hill, narrowly avoiding Yamask's attack.

Yamask yelped and flew backwards several feet, looking up at the sky.

Buneary jumped. What in the...? She followed the leaves and saw Whimsicott hovering high in the air. She looked _livid._

"How _dare_ you, you filthy _outlaw!_ " she yelled in a very feminine, yet boisterous voice, conjuring swirling wind in both hands. She brought them both together and fired many huge blades of wind, flying backwards from the force of them.

They crashed into the mienfoo and exploded into a violent burst of wind, swirling around to cut the fox with sharp gusts. The wind formed into a tornado and blew the outlaw high into the sky, making it drop the scarf.

A silver pattern reminding Buneary of the moon appeared behind Whimsicott. The girl brought her hands in front of her, forming a swirling pink vortex which drew in energy from her surroundings.

"In the name of justice... _here's your **punishment!**_ " she screamed with a stylish twirl and a kick to the vortex. It unleashed a humongous beam of light far bigger than she was.

The mienfoo had only a second to scream before it was utterly engulfed.

Buneary watched the attack trail across the sky in absolute shock and awe, as it bathed everything in pink. Holy moly...

The giant laser dissipated, but left no mienfoo in its wake. Looking around, Buneary barely saw a scorched fox sailing over the horizon.

She blinked in sheer disbelief at what she'd just seen. Looking at the others, she saw Snorlax looking very exasperated and Corsola looking very pleased. Yamask, who was still on the hillside, stared up at the sky in what seemed to be just as much shock as Buneary was feeling.

"That's our Whimsicott~" Corsola chimed.

"I thought I told her to take it easy on the outlaws..." Snorlax mumbled with a sigh. "Hard to send 'em off to jail when they end up half a continent away."

Buneary shivered. Oh dear, she'd _hate_ to get on that girl's bad side...

Whimsicott let out a heavy breath, barely audible with Buneary's hearing. She quickly drifted down to a more even part of the hill, landing on her bottom and visibly panting.

"It's just like my Whimsicott to wear herself out with one outlaw," Corsola said with a light giggle.

"She did use a lot of moves at once, huh?" Buneary asked.

"Yep!" Corsola started down the pathway leading to town. "She'll be needing a nice elixir before we get going."

Buneary nodded before following closely. The pathway was rather narrow, so she stayed behind the coral, and sensed Snorlax following behind, all single file.

Before they could get close enough to easily catch Whimsicott's attention, Yamask floated down to pick up the sheep's scarf. He held it out to her. "H-Hey, um... are you alright?" he asked.

Whimsicott gasped and recoiled away from him. " _Yamask!?_ " she yelled. She reached below her fluff-covered neck to cover her chest with her hands and turned away, still looking at him. "Oh no you don't, you _pervert!_ I know your game!" she retorted, looking... fearful? No, maybe just angry.

Yamask's hand snapped back in shock, making him drop the scarf. "N-No, I'm not a...!" He flew a fair distance back and held his hands up submissively. " _I-I'm sorry, I won't do anything!_ "

Buneary paused a moment in shock, eyes wide. Uh oh... she was starting to see why Yamask had been so worried about talking to her.

"Ah... shoulda figured this would happen," Corsola mumbled, running down the path.

Buneary followed closely behind, hoping things would turn out okay.

Close enough for Buneary to see her glaring, Whimsicott responded with a curt nod. "Y-You'd better believe it!" she shouted, grabbing her scarf. "If you even think about it, I'll-!"

"Hey, Whimsicott! Cool down, girl!" Corsola called out as she got further down the path.

Whimsicott jolted and looked up at the coral. "Corsola! There you are!" she cried, seeming to ease up.

Corsola gestured for Whimsicott to come closer. The sheep complied by hopping into the air and flying towards her, coming close enough for Corsola to hug her around the waist.

"Hey~" the coral chimed.

Whimsicott happily hugged back. She broke it off to point at Yamask accusingly. "B-But watch out! He's-"

"No, no! Yamask's a good guy, don't worry!" Corsola reassured. "We were dungeoning together today, and he's saved me and the others so much! He's not a bad guy~"

Yamask shot her a grateful look before nodding quickly at Whimsicott. "Y-Yeah!" he said.

Whimsicott stared at her. She looked back at Yamask, who flinched in response. "... _Reaaaally?_ " she asked him. "No funny biz'?"

He rapidly shook his head. "N-No! No funny biz- Uh, business!" he replied quickly. "Not now or even in the dun... geon." He paused for a second, as if something had come to mind. He began to sweat with a nervous smile. "Er... y-yeah, none at all!"

Whimsicott continued to stare at him. She huffed out a loud, relenting sigh. "Alright. You're good for now, buster, but I'm watching you...!" she replied, pointing her hand at her eyes and then at him.

He wiped the sweat from his face. "Phew. Uh... th-thanks. I think..."

Seeing everything from where she was on the slope, Buneary let out a relieved breath. Thank goodness for Corsola!

Whimsicott gave a curt nod - inadvertently shaking off some loose white dust and bits of fluff - and looked back at Corsola, suddenly all smiles. "So, Corsola! I came looking for you, but Donphan said-" she started, stopping as she glanced Buneary's way with a look of surprise.

Realizing that Whimsicott was looking straight at her, Buneary gave her a bashful smile. "Um... hi!" she said with a small wave.

Whimsicott gave a friendly smile in return. "Ooh, so, you must be the newbie Donphan talked about?" she asked, floating closer to the rabbit. When close enough, she gave a friendly wink. "Hi! Nice to meet you!"

Buneary's smile relaxed. "You too!"

Corsola giggled joyfully. "D'aww, you're both getting along so well already~" she cooed. She indicated towards Buneary. "This is Wallflower Buneary! She's so precious, isn't she?"

Buneary cringed. Oh, yeah... she'd forgotten she'd told Corsola her title.

"Ooh, not bad at all~!" Whimsicott praised. "She's sure gotta be precious with _that_ sort of title~"

"Wallflower? Er..." Yamask mumbled, seemingly getting it and making Buneary embarrassed.

"I can sorta see it..." Snorlax mumbled quietly from nearby, having caught up at last.

Trying her best to ignore them and avoid a blush forming, Buneary smiled at Whimsicott. "Th-Thanks...!" she replied.

"So, did you catch our team name?" Whimsicott asked. Floating above Corsola, she puffed out her chest. "We're Team Cuties! No other team is more adorable than _we_ are!"

"Got _that_ right!" Corsola added, balancing on a front leg and a back leg while holding her hands high.

"Oh, okay!" Buneary replied happily, finding their little display charming. "It really suits you two~"

Corsola stopped posing with a small giggle. "Thanks, Buneary~"

Whimsicott gave a proud-sounding huff, complete with a confident head nod. She put her hands to her hips. "Me, though... I'm Punishment Whimsicott!"

"And I'm still Cheerleader Corsola," Corsola added in amusement.

"Yep! The greatest at cheering and the greatest at punishing outlaws, working together!"

"No kidding..." Buneary muttered. Both titles were certainly well deserved.

"Do you have to punish them _so_ hard, though? Y-Yeesh..." Yamask retorted, now a fair distance away.

Whimsicott shot him a frown. "Well, you wouldn't understand, being a _pervert_ , would ya?" she retorted, making him flinch. "It begins at using Smelling Salts on me, and stealing my fierce band... then it moves onto worse and worse stuff. Next thing we know, that mienshao or whatever could become a _renegade._ " Her grip on the red scarf in her hand visibly tightened. "All outlaws are _scum,_ so they deserve whatever happens to 'em. Every last one."

"Um... o-okay," Yamask replied meekly.

"... She's not a big fan of 'em," Corsola muttered to Buneary, smile now very sheepish.

"Y-Yeah..." Buneary replied, taking the hint. It was very sad that Whimsicott had so much _hate_ for other pokémon... but, after all of Buneary's experiences with outlaws today, she couldn't exactly blame the sheep too much.

Buneary paused. Wait, that word again. A 'renegade'. It kept being used so specifically that it made her very curious.

"Hey, if you're quite done scaring our new recruit, Whimsicott..." Snorlax chided, "we were just on our way back to the guild. Up for joining us?"

"No can do, Snorlax," Whimsicott replied, seemingly brightening up. She patted her bag. "Got errands to run and scummy outlaws to take care of." She looked at Corsola. "Right, Corsola?"

Corsola nodded at her with a cheery reply of, "Right, Whimsicott!" She faced the others. "Well, it's been a blast, but I guess I'd better get myself going, huh?"

"So soon after travelling with us?" Snorlax asked.

"Yeah, Corsola..." Yamask added, "you should rest up, right?"

"Naww, it'll be fine!" Corsola replied, waving her hands dismissively. "After all, Whimsicott's the heavy duty, and I'm the backup!"

"Yep! My super precious backup~" Whimsicott agreed, making Corsola grin gleefully.

"Aww, you're more than backup, Corsola," Buneary interjected. She smiled. "I thought you did real well!"

"Yeah! And you kicked Aegislash's _butt_ at the end!" Yamask added excitedly. "I wish I could've seen it!"

Corsola giggled, seeming a bit bashful at the high praise. "Aww, well, shucks, you sure know how to charm someone, you two, don't ya? Thanks~" She did a quick pose. "Well... now that I know I might actually be helpful for more than just cheering... I might just try doing _more_ as Miss Backup from now on."

"Oh, that's the spirit, Corsola!" Snorlax praised.

"Lemmie know how that goes, tonight!" Buneary said eagerly.

"You bet'cha, Buneary~" Corsola replied.

The group exchanged some more farewells, before letting Corsola and Whimsicott head off to do their business. As they got a fair distance away, Buneary could hear them start up another conversation.

"So, how'd adventuring through the bluff go, anyway?" Whimsicott asked, quickly floating down the steep hill, next to the slope. "Sounded pretty cray-cray!"

"Oh, boy, where to begin..." Corsola mumbled as she jogged along. "Well...!"

Their conversation continued, but a breath from Yamask caught Buneary's attention.

"Well, that went well," he said, wiping his brow. "I wasn't blown into next week this time, so that's something!"

"She's a bit gung ho, isn't she?" Buneary agreed.

"No doubt about it..." Snorlax said with a sigh.

She nodded. She paused, wondering how to phrase the question that had been bugging her for a while. "Say, um... what's a 'renegade', exactly?"

The air seemed to grow immediately awkward as Yamask and Snorlax exchanged worried glances with each other, then at her.

Buneary felt herself begin to sweat. "I-If you don't mind me asking, that is..."

Yamask fidgeted with his mask. "Umm... you really don't know?" he asked.

"It... doesn't sound good, whatever it is..."

Snorlax sighed. "Well... you know what an outlaw is, I'll bet. Right?" he asked.

She paused, wondering how to answer that. As the Water Rock Gang, that mienfoo and maybe even Marowisp came to mind, she nodded slowly. "Um... I never met one until today, but... I guess I get the gist of 'em."

Snorlax scratched his chin. "You never met one? Even though you were a part of a... squad, was it?" he asked.

"The wild pokémon were pretty hyper, and sometimes a bit grumpy... but we never had anything like _those types_ on our island..."

Snorlax huffed in amusement. "Pretty peaceful place, then." He let out a breath. "Urf... Okay, well... renegade pokémon are... _that,_ but quite a bit worse."

She tilted her head. "Worse?"

"Yeah!" Yamask said with a frown, as if even thinking about them was enough to get him riled up. "Th-They do all sorts of stuff! Like mu-!"

"A-Ah, ah, ahh, wait, Yamask," Snorlax interrupted, sheepishly waving his paws to shush him. "Let's, uh... not make Buneary any more nervous than she needs to be."

Yamask's frown turned awkward. "O-Oh, er... sorry."

Buneary let out a shaky breath. Oh dear... Snorlax's efforts to avoid flaring up her nerves was just making them worse, anyway. What was with all the vagueness?

"It's alright," Snorlax said to Yamask before offering Buneary a reassuring smile. "Anyway, don't worry about that sort of thing, Miss! Renegades are so rare that I guarantee you'll _never_ meet one. Besides, if any renegade missions _did_ show up, me and Donphan will deal with them! Same goes for any high ranking teams that fancy their luck! So no worries, right? Eheh."

"R-Right..." Buneary mumbled. She _wanted_ to find that reassuring, but...

"A-Anyway, how about we head off back to base, now?" he said hurriedly.

Buneary and Yamask agreed and headed down the slope, allowing Snorlax to follow behind.

Upon leaving the slope and moving onto the beach, Buneary's tension eased up somewhat, as she felt the pleasant sensation of the warm sand under her toes. It was an amazing feeling after being in such a cold, wet cave for so long. The sunshine above only helped to make her feel so much better.

All the same, she still had one more question to ask. Even if they didn't want to tell her what renegades were. "Why... _do_ outlaws even exist?" she asked.

"Huh? _Why?_ " Yamask asked.

"Yeah. Everyone has _some_ good in them, right? They can't be bad through and through, so surely they're not _truly_ outlaws?"

"That's a nice outlook on things, Miss," Snorlax replied. He let out a breath through his nostrils. "Well, you're not all wrong, but there's still some with more bad than good, sad to say."

Buneary's extended ear drooped. "Aww, but why would that be?"

He shrugged. "No one knows for sure, but there's been theories. Some blame the meteor that Team Unity stopped... some blame time and space being all messed up that, well.. me and Donphan stopped."

"The Bittercold's always blamed, too!" Yamask added. "Y'know, that evil crystal snowflake... _thing_ The Angels all stopped."

Snorlax nodded. "Yep! Oh, and there's that whole Dark Matter business The Happy Go-Luckies dealt with, too." He mulled something over before continuing. "Now that I think about it... they say some stuff happened in the PokéPark, too, some years back. As if everything else wasn't bad enough."

"So... no one knows, you mean?" Buneary asked them.

"Pretty much, yeah. Maybe it's even all of 'em, one after the other. So it's no wonder outlaws have gotten so bad in the last ten years."

She paused to take everything in. "Well, that's pretty bad, but... pokémon were only going bad _because_ of those things, right?" She smiled hopefully. "Now that all of those things have been dealt with, there's no reason for anyone to get any worse, right? I think the good of pokémon will pull through eventually~"

Snorlax and Yamask stared at her. Yamask took on a look of pure awe, while Snorlax snorted out a laugh.

"That's such an inspiring speech, Buneary!" Yamask praised. "It's the sort of thing Angelic Axew and Hope Snivy would've said, back in Paradise."

Snorlax grinned. "It _was_ sort of corny enough to sound like those girls..." he teased.

Buneary felt her face heat up from bashfulness. "Um... eheh, well, y'know..." she mumbled.

"Well, either way," Snorlax said, calming down, "all jokes aside, it's a good way to be thinking, Miss. You should always try to keep that innocence about you."

She nodded eagerly. "I'll try!" she replied.

As they walked along again, she blinked. Wait... innocence? He didn't think she was childish, did he?

... In fact, Donphan had called her 'little one' earlier, hadn't she? Aww, did everyone think of her as childish?

Buneary pouted to herself. Darn it all... it was because her bosom was a little smaller than average, wasn't it? It wasn't _her_ fault that it made her look a little bit kiddy!

A kakuna suddenly jumped in front of her while she was lost in her thoughts. " _Hey,_ " it said somewhat forcefully.

She nearly jumped a foot in the air. " _Wahh!_ " she squealed, stumbling backwards. She barely caught herself before she could fall over, and stared at the pokémon. "Er, h-hi...?" she said, nervous.

The kakuna huffed in... amusement, maybe? "And here I thought those big ears would be good for hearing with. Did you miss me calling?" he asked. His voice - smooth, yet somewhat quiet and monotone - was definitely masculine.

"Oh, s-sorry, sir! I was distracted," she apologized.

The kakuna huffed again. "Had a hunch."

"W-What did you want me for, sorry?"

He indicated in the direction Buneary had been walking. "Watch your step, won't you?"

Buneary worriedly looked in the same direction, wondering if she'd done something wrong. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary, though. Aside from Yamask and Snorlax being a fair distance down the beach, having apparently taken the lead while she'd been distracted.

"Um... what for, sorry?" Buneary asked.

The kakuna huffed again and pointed at the floor in Buneary's path with a pincer. Something Buneary didn't even know his species had. "Don't care much for flowers, huh?"

Buneary looked at where he was pointing and saw a simple blue flower poking out of the sand. There was nothing remarkable about it, but there was absolutely nothing else he could be referring to.

"Oh... is this yours?" she asked, pointing at it.

"Nope. But it's important to look after nature, you know?" the kakuna replied, retracting his pincer.

She stared at him briefly in surprise, before giving an apologetic look. "Oh! Er, sorry!" she apologized. "I never even thought about it..."

"No worries."

"I'll look out a bit more from now on."

"Appreciated. That Whimsicott could learn a thing or two."

She looked at him questioningly. "... She could?"

He seemed to frown slightly. "Yep. She seemed all too happy to tear up the hillside, just then..."

She cringed lightly. "Oh, um... I-I guess so... I don't think she did it on purpose, though."

His eyes went neutral. "Well, probably." He tilted his head. "What's your name?"

"Oh, Buneary!" She paused before continuing. "... Wallflower Buneary."

"Wallflower Buneary..." He huffed. "Not the most flattering title of all time, is it? But it's nice."

She pulled a face. "Thanks..." Well, she'd made this bed, so now she had to sleep in it, she guessed...

In a way, sticking to this title - even if she wasn't very fond of it - was a good idea. It would make it all the more satisfying when people recognized her for more impressive feats, and started calling her something _much_ more respectable!

"They call me something cheekier, if it makes you feel any better," the kakuna continued. "Treehugging Kakuna. No guesses to why."

Buneary's eyes lit up. "That's cheeky? It makes you sound really caring, Kakuna!"

Kakuna huffed again, though his eyes were clearly lit up in amusement this time. "Caring? That's a new one."

She gave him a confused look. "It is? That's the first thing I thought of, though."

"Heh. Says a lot about you."

She smiled, deciding to take that as a compliment. "Th-Thanks!" She glanced towards Snorlax and Yamask. They were already at the entrance to the guild a long distance away, looking in her direction.

Her eyes widened when she realized she was holding them up. "Oh, sorry, but I'd better go!" she said, pointing towards them. "I'm keeping Mr. Snorlax and Yamask waiting!"

Kakuna looked off in their direction. "Ah, joining the guild? Guess I'll see you tonight, then."

She looked at him in surprise. "Oh, you're in the guild, too?"

He nodded. "Yep. Team Nurture, with Octillery and Slugma."

She smiled. "Ooh, that's-" Her eyes widened at a realization. Octillery? Oh, earlier, he'd been talking about a kakuna from his team! Was this _him?_ "Oh, Kakuna, I met Octillery in Drenched Bluff, actually! We went all the way through to the final floor, and he told me to tell you he's gonna be a little late getting back."

He raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "Huh, what're the odds?" His face went neutral and he huffed again. "Well, thanks for telling. Hope he didn't give you too much of a fright."

Buneary smiled sheepishly. "A little..." She smiled more naturally. "He's nice once you get used to him, though."

His eyes briefly went wide. "Nice?"

"Yeah, so we're friends, now~" She blinked. "... I think."

A small pause went by, until his eyes seemed to light up. "Heh, good. He's been worried that no one likes him, lately, so that oughta keep him happy for a while."

"H-He has?" she asked, shocked.

His eyes went neutral. "Yup. He's too stubborn to admit it, though, so I wouldn't bother asking."

She frowned sadly. "Aww... but he's such a nice, generous sort, though. _I_ like him!"

"Cool," he replied, eyes lit up again. "You know, you're an interesting one to talk to, Buneary. At dinner, come pay us a visit if you've got time, okay?"

She smiled at the invitation. "Oh, of course!" she replied with a nod.

He nodded back. "Good." He turned towards the giant hill that made up Drenched Bluff. "See ya, then. Snorlax and Yamask are waiting, right? And I think I'll be paying Octillery a visit."

"Okay! See you, then, Kakuna!"

The cocoon gave her another nod and began hopping away, towards the bluff.

Buneary stared after him. Boy, he'd sure been a cool cucumber.

She began quickly hopping towards the others, who were waiting in front of the donphan-shaped guild's trunk, where the door was. She was very careful not to step on any flowers as she went.

Going over the conversation she'd just had, she realized that Octillery's team was 'Team Nurture'.

She smiled to herself. No wonder he'd kept making comments about nature and the environment. Oh, how cute~

* * *

Buneary caught up with Yamask and Snorlax just in time for the door to the guild to start rolling down.

"H-Hey! Sorry, I was caught up!" Buneary said as she stopped next to them.

"So we saw!" Snorlax replied. "Had fun talking to Kakuna?"

"Yep! He's nice~"

"Er, he is?" Yamask asked, scratching his head. "It always feels like he's being sarcastic whenever I talk to him..."

"He sure comes across that way..." Snorlax replied. He shook his head. "He isn't, though. He's just really... cool-headed, I guess you could say." He chuckled. "Octillery's exact opposite, y'know?"

Yamask let out a small chuckle. "Well... if you say so," he said with a shrug.

A short while passed until the door opened up enough for Buneary to see over the top of it. She was met with a very stern gaze coming her way from the guildmaster herself.

Trembling, Buneary shrunk under Donphan's glare. Oh, goodness, w-what had she done? Ohhh, she felt her nerves coming back full force.

The elephant's gaze softened after a brief pause to be replaced with a sheepish look. "Ah, did I look a bit stern, there?" she asked. "Um... apologies."

Buneary blinked a few times. Oh... was this what Snorlax had meant by saying that she could come across as scary? "Um... i-it's okay, Miss Donphan," she replied, trying to smile reassuringly.

Snorlax snorted out a laugh. "You just never change, do you, Guildm- um, Donphan?" he joked.

Donphan pouted lightly. "... Quiet, you," she chided, making Snorlax chuckle again. Her pout dropped as she turned to give Buneary a small smile and nod in greeting. "Hello, um..." she started, stalling with what looked like a small cringe, "... little one."

Buneary paused at the odd response. Er... was it her, or was the air feeling vaguely awkward all of a sudden?

Trying to ignore the bizarre feeling, she gave a small wave. "H-Hello! We're, um... we're back from the bluff~"

Donphan closed her eyes as if to steel herself before replying. "Yes, um... excellent. How did it go?"

"It was really crazy..." Yamask replied with a tired sigh.

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. "Oh, Yamask, I hadn't seen you, there." Her gaze turned curious. "Had you gone with them?"

"Yeah! Corsola and Octillery were with us, too, but they left a bit ago."

"Hm, okay."

"They helped me out so much~" Buneary praised. "Yamask, too, of course!"

"That so?" Donphan asked. "I'm glad to hear it."

Yamask smiled sheepishly while waving his hands dismissively. "Well... I didn't do much of the work," he replied. "I wanted to, but... I've still got a long way to go, eheh."

"What!?" Buneary yelped. She gave him a disapproving frown. "No way, Yamask, you were great!"

He looked at her in confusion. "Huh? I didn't do much of note, though." Excitement flashed in his eyes. "Not you and the others, though! You all really kicked butt in all our fights! Especially with that pokémon tower you came up with!" He frowned sadly and rubbed his arm. "I sort of just... kept being rash and getting into fights I couldn't win. Oh, and panicking. Lots of panicking."

Buneary's frown turned sad. "B-But you still tried to help, and-" She stopped when she heard Donphan chuckling lightly. Looking over, she saw an amused look on the elephant's face.

"Hm. You know, Yamask, you reminded me of Snorlax, just then," Donphan explained. "Over a decade ago, when he and I weren't evolved, yet."

Yamask looked confused again. "R-Really? _Me?_ "

She nodded. "You're rash, you're a bit awkward, you get nervous easily... you're _very_ clumsy, and luck is rarely on your side." She stalled. "... Debatably."

"... That's supposed to make me feel better?" Yamask asked, seeming equal parts upset and flummoxed.

She murmured out a short chuckle and continued. "In spite of your flaws, however, I've heard you have a strong sense of justice, and the need to throw yourself into helping others, even when it's ill-advised. You're also excitable, talkative and friendly, so making friends comes naturally to you." She pointed her trunk at Snorlax. "He was the exact same way, you know? You'll make a fine explorer."

Buneary looked at her in awe. Wow... she'd described him perfectly! Gosh, she was so sagely~

Yamask seemed pretty surprised at the elephant's words. Soon, though, his face lit up with a big smile.

Snorlax spoke up before he could respond. "I figured you'd say something embarrassing about me like that, Donphan..." he said, blushing with an awkward smile. It quickly became natural as he turned to Yamask. "She's right, though. You can't be a pro overnight, so there'll be losses here and there. All you can do is just keep fighting the good fight, and you'll get there!" His smile went back to being bashful. "Besides, if I had to be honest... you're probably at a better stage right now than I was, back when I started out. Eheh..."

"Oh, well... g-gosh, thanks!" Yamask replied, blushing and looking bashful. He pumped his fists determinedly. "Well... I'll keep improving a-and doing my best!"

"Good. I'm glad," Donphan replied with a pleased nod.

Buneary beamed at them. Wow, she _definitely_ had to take pointers, just in case she ever found herself having to comfort someone.

Donphan turned to face the hallway leading further into the guild. "Okay, now off you two go. I want to go over how well the expedition went with Snorlax." She looked the two of them over and snorted out a chuckle. "... Not to mention, I'll imagine you'll both want to take a shower or something."

Buneary's eyes widened and she looked herself over. She was still covered in moss, mud and patches of messy, damp fur. Quickly glancing at Yamask, who was also checking himself over, she noticed that he was a little sooty. It was hard to notice, due to his pitch black skin, but it was evident enough when she paid attention.

Turning back to Donphan, she scuffed her foot against the floor, face heating. "Um... we got into a little bit of a fight, or two..." she mumbled, embarrassed.

"Heh, clearly," Donphan replied. "No worries, though. That's the very reason we had the showers installed."

"Fair enough." She paused as something dawned on her. Something that sent an unpleasant shiver up her spine. Oh no... those horrible cold showers. She was destined to go through that horrible experience again. Right after she'd gotten used to being away from the coldness of the bluff, too...

She had to hold back a fearful frown. Ohh, she really wasn't looking forward to it.

Yamask didn't seem the least bit worried, however, as he eagerly floated down the hallway. "Yeah, sounds good. Um, let's go, Buneary!" he called to her.

"Um, r-right!" she called back, following after him.

"See ya in a bit!" Snorlax said to them. "We'll call ya when we're finished!"

"Okay! See you soon!" Buneary replied.

"Oh, just a second," Donphan said. Stopping, Buneary turned around to see her holding the rabbit's bag out for her to grab. "Here's your... belongings." She looked off to the side for some reason. "... I made sure nobody looked inside, for the record."

Buneary blinked. Mentally shrugging, she smiled and hopped towards her. "Thanks, Miss Donphan~" she said, grabbing it and slinging it over her shoulder.

With that, she followed Yamask down the building's 'trunk', towards the large, spiraling stairs at the end of the hallway.

Before she reached them, she heard Donphan say something to Snorlax. "Oh, by the way... did Maximum Golurk find you? He came knocking, earlier, and I may have accidentally let your whereabouts slip..." she mumbled, sounding somewhat guilty.

"Ohh, _now_ everything makes sense..." Snorlax muttered. "He sure _did_ find us. Him and the rest of Team Specter, at that."

"Oh dear..." There was a pause. "... All of them were on the same mission together?"

"Yeah, looking for a dough seed. Nothing too impressive."

"... Hm, how rare... How did things turn out?"

"Oh, well...!"

Buneary stopped eavesdropping as she started down the spiral staircase. She sure hoped that whatever tale he told her wouldn't make her sound _too_ pathetic.

* * *

Buneary let out a shaky breath as she continued descending down the spiraling staircase of the guild. She was still mentally preparing herself to be ready for when that horrible cold water would hit her fur and nearly kill her.

"Huh? You okay, Buneary?" Yamask asked, floating down the stairs by her side.

"Oh, I'm... just not looking forward to the cold shower," Buneary replied, following up with another shaky breath.

He tilted his head. "You take cold showers you don't like?"

"Not usually, but... there doesn't seem to be anything else warmer to take in this place, so..."

He looked confused. "Huh? But... you can heat the water, though."

She stopped in place, staring at him, dumbfounded. "... You can?"

"Yeah! There's a stove you can shove wood into, and when you burn it, it heats the water for the shower."

She continued to stare. Instead of feeling dumbfounded, she now just felt plain dumb. "... Oh..." she mumbled, pulling her lips tight in embarrassment.

Yamask chuckled. "It's not all that obvious, so... yeah." He cleared his throat. "Luckily, I have a fire move, but without it... er, I think they have some burn seeds stored away in some box, somewhere. That should do it."

"Okay, then... thanks."

She continued down the stairs, until she was on the floor where the guildmaster's room was. She was about to keep going down to the final floor, but stopped when she saw some movement in her peripheral vision. Looking, she saw an umbreon and a banette just outside of the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

"Oh, hey, it's Team Shadow," Yamask said. He raised a hand, as if ready to greet them... but faltered with a concerned frown. "Er... uh oh."

"I can't believe you ate my last aspear berry!" the umbreon yelled in a gruff, masculine voice, his nostrils flaring. "I needed that for the next dungeon! Frosty Grotto's frigging _cold!_ "

"We'll, I'm _sorry!_ " the banette retorted in a boyish, yet distinctly feminine voice. She animatedly waved her arms around in irritation as she floated in front of him. "I can't help it if I'm suddenly _starving_ in the middle of the night!"

He briefly choked on air, as if her answer left him completely gobsmacked. "Oh, you greedy little-!"

She smacked her forehead against his. "Hey, _watch it,_ bub!"

He pushed back with equal force. " _No way!_ I trusted you with it, you _punk!_ "

"You're the schmuck who can't be assed putting it away in your _own_ bag!"

"It's filled with grimy food!"

"And whose fault is _that,_ huh!?"

The umbreon gave a sharp intake of air through his bared teeth. He removed his forehead from hers and turned away with a loud huff. "Oh, _screw you!_ Just for _that,_ you have to buy the next batch!"

She crossed her arms and turned in the opposite direction to him. "Only if you stop being a tard for once in your life and empty out your stupid bag!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Buneary could only stare at the two pokémon, left completely speechless by the confrontation. Legends almighty...

"Let's, er... leave 'em to it," Yamask said, cringing awkwardly as he continued down the stairs at a quick pace.

"Y-Yeah..." she replied sadly, following after him. Oh dear... she'd seen her fair share of arguments, before - especially after the incident involving her whole village falling out over some special 'amazing chocolate' - but she was still unhappy to see pokémon having such a shouting match. Teammates, too, of all things!

"Hey, don't worry too much..." Yamask said reassuringly, apparently seeing her frown, "I heard they've always been like this since they were little." He gave a somewhat large shrug. "But I still keep finding them playing 'binoculars hide-and-seek', so I guess they're _still_ friends? I dunno..."

"Huh... well, that's something, I guess?" She rubbed her chin in thought. "... Thinking about it, back in Wildfire Village... I guess Arguments Floatzel was always sort of like that with Gossip Farfetch'd. Whenever Floatzel came up for a visit, that is."

"Alright. Yeesh, I don't think I'd like having a friend like that. It would drive me sort of crazy!"

She giggled and nodded. "It wouldn't be easy, that's for sure..."

On reaching the final floor, Buneary made a move for the bathroom. When she realized Yamask wasn't following her, she looked back at him and saw all the piles of wood blocks tucked in an alcove under the stairs.

Oh... so _that_ 's why they'd been there. Fuel for heating the showers. Well, fair enough! She would make extra special sure to remember. Her future showers depended on it!

Wanting to help Yamask - who had grabbed a load of wood blocks - she hopped towards the wood and grabbed a small bundle, herself. They fit in her arms easily enough, allowing her to carry them down the hallway that made up the bathroom.

* * *

Buneary let out a long, relaxed sigh as hot, steaming water washed over her body from the holes in the ceiling. Oh, this was _definitely_ a vast improvement to the bluff~ She could imagine herself spending _ages_ in this place!

Using the scrubber she'd retrieved from her bag, which was currently across the room from her, she was happily scrubbing away the grime that had gathered on her fur and fluff throughout the journey. It dribbled down from her body, to the floor, and finally into the drain, along with the suds from the soapy leaves she was using with the scrubber.

Floating nearby, Yamask was using a soapy leaf to wash up, himself. Because they were both covered up, she didn't really mind sharing the shower with him. It was a public one, after all. If she'd wanted a more personal wash, she could have gone into the large cubicle against the wall, under the same shower.

Reacting to her happy sigh, he smiled at her. "It's really nice, huh?" he asked.

"You can say that again~" Buneary replied.

He let out a small chuckle and continued washing himself down. After a short while, he held his mask up and started cleaning that, too. He paused briefly with a thoughtful look, and glanced back at her. "Say... what you were saying before, Buneary..."

She tilted her head. "Huh?"

"Um, about outlaws, I mean... You said they're all good on the inside, right?"

She gave a peppy nod. "Definitely!"

"Oh, well... what makes you think that? Is it because your homeland was super peaceful?"

She nodded again, but stalled in thought. "Well... yeah, but there's a little more to it. I like to read a lot about the heroes of the world, you see... and it's _always_ the same tale in the end!"

"Oh? What tale's that?"

"Well... the bad guys always seem horrible and irredeemable all throughout the story... but then, right near the end, it's always revealed that they weren't evil, and were just misunderstood! Or that they were being brainwashed, or... or that they _were_ bad, but then they felt really bad about _being_ bad, afterwards!"

Yamask murmured in thought, as if taking what she'd said in. "Well... that's true enough, I guess!"

"How about you, Yamask? Didn't you say you came from Paradise in the Mist Continent?"

"Sort of... My dad worked in Post Town, which is sorta near Redland Reaches, where our house was."

"Okay! Well, wasn't it said that the Mist Continent had a humongous problem with crimes, and that everyone constantly felt hopeless and depressed?"

He nodded. "Oh, for sure!" He frowned in thought while putting his mask back on his tail. "Well... saying that, it started dying down before I was even old enough to really acknowledge anything like that... but I still remember hearing it from people."

She nodded gleefully. "Yeah, exactly! When The Angels destroyed the Bittercold, it stopped drowning the whole continent in sorrow, and things went super happy afterwards, right? That's a _sure_ sign that pokémon are good at heart. Even criminals~"

He beamed brightly with clenched fists. "Wow, that's so wholesome, Buneary! I don't think I know _anyone_ who'd say stuff like that with so much conviction! _Especially_ after pokémon like Marowisp, who took your chest fur and-!" He spread his arms out dramatically. He paused immediately afterwards with widened eyes and turned away, barely hiding a bright blush. "Er, um, w-well, you know. Y-Yeah..." he mumbled awkwardly.

She grimaced, face going about as hot as the water raining down on her. "W-Well, um, yeah..." she replied, subconsciously covering her chest. "All that said, I think some pokémon are _still_ a bit mean, but you know." She smiled again. "I still don't believe any _evil_ pokémon exist. I'm sure they all have their own reasons for doing the bad things they do, y'know?"

"R-Right!" he replied, looking back at her despite his blush. "So there's always the option for redemption, right?"

"Absolutely~ With a little time and patience, I think anyone on the planet can pull through and become good~"

* * *

Bradley was hunched over in pain. His whole body ached and stung.

Even so... he knew he wasn't finished. He still had more training to do.

A green, bladed tail entered his vision, coming toward him. It slashed his face, sending him tumbling backwards.

He crashed against the wall and felt many sharp pains course through his back. Slumping to the ground, he looked to see the wall of stone spikes he'd been slammed into. It was the same as the many other spike-covered walls that made up the dungeon he was in. Painful.

His attacker walked up to him on his fours. He was panting heavily with a more odd than usual smile plastered across his face. "Oh dear, little monster," Ben said, "did we... maybe overdo it with... the training?"

Bradley groaned, but said nothing. He didn't have the energy. To be honest, he'd probably gone faint, already. He couldn't move.

... Not that there was really much of a point, anyway.

Ben stared at him for a short while. He allowed his tail to dim. "Actually, thinking about it..." Ben continued, his smile going soft, yet... intense, like it usually was, "I'd say that's about as much training as you deserve." His smile flickered. "... for now, anyway."

Bradley let out a drawn out huff. Good...

Ben reached into his bag and brought out a tiny reviver seed. "Here you are. You'll need this, right?" He cracked it in his paw and threw its glimmering particles at Bradley.

They washed over him, making his injuries stop hurting instantly. He staggered to his feet and brushed off the dust coating his fur with a long breath.

"I hope you appreciate my kindness..." Ben said, leering down at him intently. "Pokémon aren't supposed to be kind to each other, you know. But for you, I made a special exception, didn't I~?"

"... I guess," Bradley mumbled, reaching behind his head to readjust the cover band around his ponytail. The one Ben had insisted he wore 'just in case'. "Thanks..."

"You're welcome~" Ben replied. He turned around and walked away. "Now, we still have a lot to do, today, so come along." He shuddered, almost like an involuntary shiver had gone up his spine. "... Those horrible pokémon aren't going to punish themselves, are they?"

Bradley's head dipped. "No..." He slowly followed behind.

* * *

Bradley had listlessly followed behind Ben for some random amount of time, with his bag slung around his shoulder. They'd gone through most of the dungeon, having travelled through several tunnels and large openings.

Aside from watching for the random spikes jutting out of the floor, Bradley couldn't bring himself to pay attention to any of the scenery, though. He didn't really feel like it...

Eventually, Ben started up a slope within a narrow tunnel. He made the briefest of pauses to check on Bradley before going up, no words spoken. His usual, pleasant smile never left his face.

Letting out a breath, Bradley followed him. The narrow tunnel continued upwards at a large bend, its walls coated in clusters of huge, sharp spikes. He had to be careful as he traveled.

After a short while, he could see sunshine. A sign that the final floor was approaching.

He continued onwards, but stopped when he nearly bumped into Ben, who was standing near the end of the slope.

"Wait, hold up," Ben said, using his tail to block the way forward. "I see a pokémon~"

Bradley felt something cold in his stomach at that. He swallowed back the feeling and peeked over the taller pokémon's tail.

Over the last stretch of slope which was in the way, Bradley could just about make out a large clearing, with bright blue skies above. A machop was roaming around a short distance away, looking between the spikes of a wall.

"Stay~" Ben ordered. His usual smile stretched as he wandered up the pathway.

Ben sighed through his nose and backtracked slightly to stay out of sight. Unable to see them, he listened out for what would happen.

"Hello, fellow pokémon~!" Ben greeted, his voice becoming much more soft and whimsical than it usually was.

"Huh? Oh, hey, guy," the machop replied in a voice that suggested male. He didn't sound hostile. "What can I do you for?"

"Oh, I was just wondering what you were up to~ Care to explain?"

"Well, not much. Heard there was a hole filled with treasure somewhere 'round here, but it's not an easy find."

"Oh, how interesting~ I hope you're not _too_ motivated by greed, like..." He took a notable intake of breath, "... _most_ pokémon..."

"... Huh?"

Ben laughed. "... Just kidding~!"

"... Oh, um, right," the machop replied with a chuckle. It sounded somewhat awkward, yet dismissive. "Anyway, nope, not _too_ much. Just thought it'd make a cool present for my girlfriend." He chuckled again, sounding a bit more sincere. "So I guess it's more motivated by _generosity,_ huh? Haha!"

Ben laughed again. "I suppose so~! Anyway, I had better be off. Good luck~"

"See ya, buddy! Say, what did you say your title was? Mine's Coach Machop."

"Hm? Oh, charmed~" Ben replied with a giggle. "They call me Smiles Leafeon~"

"Heh, well, sure suits ya, huh?"

"Yup~ I'm sure yours does, too."

"Sure does! I like helping the kids in my neck of the woods toughen up. Makes 'em happy and gives my girlfriend another reason to like me. A win-win, for sure!"

"Hmm, _very_ cute. Well, be seeing you~!"

"'Kay. Catch ya!"

Bradley heard the sound of Ben's footsteps as he presumably walked away. They stopped abruptly. "Oh, incidentally... I'd be careful, if I were you."

"Huh?" the machop asked. "What's up?"

"I've heard tell that an angry, horrible little pikachu is wandering around, attacking people and robbing them blind. You'd better be on your guard~"

Bradley clenched his eyes shut and inhaled deeply.

The machop gasped at Ben's warning. "Oh! Okay, I'd better had, then. Thanks, pal!" he said.

"Don't mention it~" Ben said, before the footsteps continued.

With a shaky exhale, Bradley opened his eyes and mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do next.

* * *

The machop Ben had been talking to just fifteen minutes ago was laid out in front of Bradley, unconscious. His body twitched from the Thunderwave Bradley had used on him, but aside from that, he was unmoving.

Something in Bradley's chest ached, but he ignored it.

Ben was next to the machop, investigating him. He was smiling as usual, but his eyes held disgust. "... What an unpleasant pocket monster that beast was," he complained.

Bradley sighed and looked at him.

"Did you hear him speak with those faux pleasantries?" Ben continued. "I can only imagine what horrible thoughts were _really_ in his mind. What he _truly_ wanted to say."

Bradley looked back at the machop. He felt his ears dip more than they usually did.

"Oh, and how rich..." Ben continued, "saying he wasn't being selfish, when truly, he wanted his precious 'treasure' so he could exchange it for sexual favors with that 'girlfriend' of his. Same reason he likes training children to be more violent, I'd imagine." He huffed through his nostrils, smile cracking. "I'd expect _nothing_ less from our horrible pocket-sized kind."

Bradley looked at the ground, conflicting thoughts racing through his mind. Clenching his eyes shut, he willed them away. Thinking about it was too painful...

"Oh well, it doesn't matter now," Ben continued.

Bradley looked at him, again. His eyes widened when he saw the older pokémon's smile widen in a strange way. The same strange way it had done earlier, after Bradley had fainted a stunky and a ghost-type.

Ben shuddered, and his breathing grew heavy and audible. "The nasty little thing won't be fornicating with anything anytime soon, that's for sure. Not now that it's like _this._ " His breathing grew heavy. "H-Hehe...!"

Bradley frowned uncomfortably. "You're... acting weird, again," he said.

Ben looked at him in surprise. He cleared his throat and wiped his mouth with an arm. "Oh, don't worry about it~" he reassured, pulling his usual big smile. "I, um..."

Bradley quickly looked him over. His frown deepened when he saw an obvious bulge where the older pokémon's groin was. Contents hidden from view due to fur constraints, but still.

Weird... The last time Ben had been like this, he'd mentioned that it was because he'd found the unconscious stunky attractive. But the stunky had been female that time, and this machop was _male_ , so...

"... Are you into men, now?" Bradley asked, not entirely sure what the answer would be.

"... No," Ben replied with a click of the tongue. He paused for a few seconds. "I'm..." His smile widened slightly. "Yes, I'm just happy to see some justice on this beast."

"... Justice?"

"Precisely~ It's... Um, _he's_ another one of those horrible pokémon that pretend to be nice, but most certainly are not." He stared directly into Bradley's eyes. "... Do you remember _why_ they pretend?"

Bradley turned his gaze away and stayed quiet.

A short while passed. Eventually, Ben spoke again. "... Clearly not...! Well, it's only because they fear going to prison, or being ostracized from society. If every pokémon had their way... if they could do anything they wanted..." Bradley heard the older pokémon's teeth grind. "... Well, let's just say that the poor humans learned about that the _hard_ way, didn't they?"

Bradley let out a long sigh and squeezed his eyes shut. They still stung.

"Well, all that said... let's finish frisking this machop," Ben said. He let out a loud huff. "Hmm, y'know... all this talk about how horrible pokémon are has gotten me all worked up." Bradley heard the low hum of energy. As if Ben had activated his Leaf Blade. "After we're done, maybe we should work it off with some training~!"

Bradley shivered lightly. "... Okay," he mumbled.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

**Finished:** 04/03 (March)/2021

**Word count:** 8,612

**VGS2's sausage notes:** Oh dear, who is this mystery grumpy person I definitely didn't name after ravengal's name for Byleth in her Edelgard-ish path in Three Houses!? It's a mystery, woooo...!

... Y'know, I wonder if anybody even reads these author's notes, save for me fun mistakes section? Probably not. I still remember that one time in Spiritual Successor where I acknowledged that Swift missed even though it shouldn't in the games, and somebody _still_ questioned me about it in a review. With that in mind, I bet I could say literally _any_ old tosh in these sausage notes and everyone will be none the wiser!

The main spoiler of this fic is that Buneary's mom, Monferno, is a double agent who works for King Roscoe from Bandits of the Forest, sent to assassinate King Richard from The Ember and the Spark! She'll die, and then Buneary will have to take over, only to get caught by Persian from In Times of Danger, and thrown into her predator sex dungeon! There, she'll befriend Queen Serperior from Smile For Me (who'll appear in that fic eventually), and then lead all the babies from Daycare Mayhem to overthrow the yakuza government run by the evil Dr. Mario from Miracle Murder Cure. Also, something, something, Pikachu!

Such big spoilers I'm dishing out! But you won't see them, so it's fine. As you were, hypothetical citizen. XP

**Today's shameless promotion:** [How My Partner Will Think of Me Eventually](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13729482/1/How-My-Partner-Will-Think-of-Me-Eventually)

**Author:** [ThePrinceOfPuddles](https://www.fanfiction.net/u/6075678/ThePrinceOfPuddles)

**Universe:** Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky

**Main species:** A swellow and a wurmple (both from Team Tasty)

**Summary:** From the author of Wild Pokemon, follow the adventures of Team Tasty, a two-pokemon Exploration Team with a fragile and challenging relationship. When a mission goes horribly awry, they will have to fight to discover whether their partnership can truly last, or whether they were doomed to lose to nature from the start.

**Romance:** Quite a lot!

**Wackiness:** Really grounded, though it goes off game logic an extreme amount!

**Lewdness:** Nope!

**Action:** A big amount, fueled by game logic!

**Grittiness:** A good amount involving predatory topics! Expect bloody times, despite the ill-placed K+ rating!

**Length:** Fairly short to average length!

Bloody Hell, I've never read a fic that bases itself off of game logic so much. It's quite an experience. XD That's not a bad thing, though. There are battles and events that could only take place in a fic like this!

On top of that, the story and the topics it covers are fairly deep, and it has a villain you'll sure remember, I'm sure! Give it a look-see! :P

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**Fun mistakes of the day:**

**#1:** 'They **could** just let this outlaw escape!'

(Buneary, you're really shit at enforcing the law, you know that? XD)

**#2:** "Whimsicortt"

(I think something's wrong with Whimsicott...)

**#3:** 'Whimsicott **jotted** '

(Whimsicott's good with a pen. I say when there are, like, four different mistakes related to her down here. XP)

**#4:** 'Whimsicott stared at her. She looked **bad** '

(I think Team Cuties is about to break up.)

**#5:** 'Yamask **shoot** her'

(As if that wasn't bad enough, Yamask is about to put Corsola on ice. RIP)

**#6:** '"... Reaaaally?" she asked him. "No funny **bus** '?"'

(The funny bus is cancelled.)

**#7:** 'Trying her best to ignore them and avoid a blush from forming, Buneary **smilked**.'

(Yep, definitely a miltank…)

**#8:** 'The **warmshine** above only helped to make her feel so much better.'

(My favourite pony! Or perhaps carebear?)

**#9:** 'Though her **tit** eased her tension somewhat,'

(Lmao, I only wanted to mess around with the sentence, but then... XD For feck's sake, there's only one thing this buneary's gonna be remembered for, at this rate. Maybe it's already too late.)

**#10:** "I want to go over **hop** "

(Yeah, run the little useless bastard down! After that, go after Hau, who's pretty much the same character, from what I understand. XP)

**#11:** 'Buneary caught up with Yamask and Snorlax just in time for the door to the guild to start **coming down**.'

(What a shoddily-built guild. Even the door's collapsing, now!)

**#12:** 'She was met with a very stern gaze **coming her** from the guildmaster herself.'

(Oh, what degeneracy have I weaved this time? Nothing good, that's for sure. XD)

**#13:** '"Y-Yeah..." Buneary replied sadly. Oh **dead**...'

(C'mon, I know Banette's a ghost, but...)

**#14:** 'Ben said, leering down at him **intently eyes.** '

(Ben inTently.)

**#15:** " **Wat,** hold up,"

(Sounds like Twitter-speak to me! "Wat, wat, hol' up, hol' up!")

**#16:** "I've heard tell that an angry, horrible little pikachu is **wondering** around,'

(How dare he be the thoughtful type!)

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Welp, that's me lot for tonight! Tata for now, pals! c:


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